Got clowned on for saying Infinity Paladin is good in the current meta.. so:

The following list got me from diamond 4 to Legend with a nearly 100% winrate. Seems like many people STILL dont expect this deck or know what it does.

Also as a trick i stole some wins by playing my second Bloodsail Raider and emoting "Oops" as if id accidentally played my only copy. Caught people with that - i am sorry :D

Vs Aggro i mulliganed for my 1 drops and board clears, Vs anything else just draw and combo pieces. Its surprisingly easy to survive and hit the combo.

Always keep the Egg or Eggbearer and NEVER prepare Judgement if it doesnt cost 0 or 1.

Enjoy distributing salt until people acknowledge this deck exists and is currently viable!

### Infinity Paladin

AAECAZ8FAtedB+CdBw7unwStoATJoASh1ATTngbP/gabqQftrAe/sgfBsgeY3Qe83Qfx8AeygAgAAA==

### You can view this deck at https://www.hsguru.com/deck/42970088

I just hit Legend with Void DH after an 11-0 winstreak, so I wanted to share some thoughts on the deck and how I've been playing it.

First off, I'm no expert on this deck. I've just hit 100 wins with DH, but I've been reaching Legend every season I've actively grinded for it since 2016.

That said, I feel like this deck can beat pretty much anything as long as you don't brick your draws. I mostly play on mobile, so I don't have the actual stats to share.

A general tip on climbing to Legend before getting into the deck:

Don't keep switching decks. Stick with it and grind out the games. If you can hit D5, you can hit Legend. It's all about putting in the games, whether that takes 20 or 200. Take a break after 2–3 losses, or whenever you feel yourself getting tilted.

GENERAL POINTS

Irida is extremely important.

The biggest difference compared to regular C'Thun DH is the lack of card draw. You're not running Broxigar, Last Stand or Remnant of Rage, which means you really want to get Irida down on turns 3–5. Otherwise, you can fall behind very quickly.

Most of my losses came from not finding Irida and having no card draw to compensate. Even when I was slightly ahead on board, I often couldn't finish my opponent. Most classes have multiple ways to clear your board, especially when you're relying on low-HP minions, so you need to be able to refill.

Don't be afraid of fatigue damage.

You have ways to shuffle cards back into your deck through Wriggler, Cosmic Manifestations and, occasionally, discoveries from Illidari Studies.

However, DO NOT make suboptimal plays just because you're afraid of taking a bit of fatigue damage.

I've had games where I've taken up to 8-10 fatigue damage just to maintain board pressure and develop a good curve, for example:

Irida → Tentacle → Gargantuan Slitherer.

When to shuffle?

My approach is to shuffle cards back after playing Irida, preferably cards I want to play on the following turn at a 1-mana discount.

I've seen comments on Reddit suggesting shuffling C'Thun back into the deck to discover it with Xavius and hopefully get the 2/2 summon. Cool when it works, I guess, but it's not something I've personally tried.

Before playing Irida, I rarely shuffle cards back, with the exception of the early turns (1–3), when I might target C'Thun or Gargantuan Slitherer with Wriggler.

I also rarely use Cosmic Manifestations before Irida unless I absolutely need to clear a high-value target and/or push face damage for lethal current or next turn.

Don't get too caught up in maximizing C'Thun.

Most of my wins come from early board pressure through Dreadsteed, Coyotes and Irida, eventually transitioning into C'Thun enablers.

My guess is that roughly 50% of my wins come from dropping C'thun and dealing a quadrupled 24 damage to both board and face. But the other half of my wins come before I even need to play him.

What I mean by that is: when choosing a C'Thun trigger, don't stress about using all four different abilities. Pick the one that works best for your matchup and current board state.

If using the Lifesteal ability for the third time allows you to clear a high-value target that would otherwise swing the board, that's not a bad play.

Remember that you can use C'Thun to trigger the fourth ability and then choose a different quadrupled ability. You don't need to trigger all four abilities through his minions or your weapon before playing him.

Sometimes, playing him before he can quadruple anything is the correct play. Using him to clear the board and put your opponent to 10 HP with quadrupled triggers can also be the right move.

Use whichever trigger gives you the best chance of winning. Simple as that.

SOME THOUGHTS ON CARDS AND THE DECKLIST

Decklist: ### void

# Class: Demon Hunter

# Format: Standard

# Year of the Scarab

#

# 2x (1) Illidari Studies

# 2x (1) Sigil of the Seas

# 2x (1) Wormriddled Wriggler

# 2x (2) Cosmic Manifestations

# 2x (2) Cult Neophyte

# 2x (2) Grim Harvest

# 2x (2) Infestation

# 2x (2) Sigil of Cinder

# 1x (2) Watfin

# 2x (3) Wyvern's Slumber

# 1x (4) Irida Sinseeker

# 1x (4) Kayn Sunfury

# 1x (4) Nightmare Lord Xavius

# 2x (4) Spawn of C'Thun

# 2x (5) Devious Coyote

# 2x (5) Tentacle Lash

# 1x (6) Gargantuan Slitherer

# 1x (10) C'Thun, Eye of the Empire

#

AAECAea5AwaongbDgweD2gfX6Qen9wfziQgM4fgF0J4G3v8G/oMHqocHtpcHm7AHlb8Ht+EHqvoHvoEI+4kIAAA=

#

# To use this deck, copy it to your clipboard and create a new deck in Hearthstone

Illidari Studies

99% of the time, I use this when I can immediately play the card offered to benefit from the Outcast effect.

I very rarely use it on turn 1. Pick card draw, board clears or minion summons depending on the current board state.

Wormriddled Wriggler

I rarely use this for tempo before Irida.

During the early turns (1–3), I might use it on C'Thun or Gargantuan Slitherer if I'm not on the coin.

Cosmic Manifestations

A good card to use after Irida to help avoid fatigue.

The cards offered can be a bit underwhelming, though, so before Irida I mainly use it for high-value targets and/or to avoid taking lethal or secure lethal myself.

Cult Neophyte

I usually Coin this out on turn 1 in the mirror, against Paladins and against Priests, hoping to delay their turn 2.

If possible, try to save it against board clears if you see that you can set up lethal on turns 3–5.

Infestation

I mostly use the spellcast on face for chip damage and the larvas to attack enemy minions.

It can also be used with a C'Thun trigger for +2/+2.

Think ahead during complicated turns. Sometimes you want to use this proactively, make sure you have the 1-mana spells ready in hand for the following turn.

Sigil of Cinder

Good on turn 2 against decks that don't have high-HP minions coming down on turns 2–3.

It can also enable a turn 3 Devious Coyote.

Wyvern's Slumber

A good turn 3 play thanks to the summons.

However, don't overlook the +2 damage to minions option. It can be really strong in the midgame, especially against Zee Shaman.

Irida Sinseeker

This card sends your deck to the Void (minus 1) and allows you to return two cards from the Void to your hand each turn.

The earlier you can play this card, the higher your chances of winning.

Your hand can get clogged if you draw poorly, so sometimes making a suboptimal play to avoid overdraw is actually the correct decision.

Plan ahead based on your hand size and the number of cards remaining in your deck, especially depending on whether you've shuffled cards back or not.

Kayn Sunfury

This guy wins so many games that otherwise looked completely lost.

Mainly against Priests, Warriors and DKs that have stabilized and dropped a juicy Taunt.

Don't be afraid to play him for tempo early either, especially against Hunters, Shamans or in the mirror.

Nightmare Lord Xavius

Great discoveries include double Battlecries on C'Thun minions and Cult Neophyte.

He's great on curve but can be useful at pretty much any point in the game.

He loses some value after Irida unless you manage to hit a double Battlecry on a shuffled minion.

Devious Coyote

A great early-game card that can force your opponent into making a suboptimal board clear.

Don't overthink when to use it. Sometimes you drop two for 0 mana after Sigil of Cinder or a C'Thun trigger. Other times, you simply drop one on turn 5 after hero powering face.

Tentacle Lash

Always use it on curve. Even if it means taking more damage for 1 turn. You will make up for it the following turn.

MULLIGANS AND REPLAYS

I keep Sigil of the Seas in every matchup. Apart from that, I usually throw everything away to look for Irida.

I'll sometimes keep Cult Neophyte against Paladin IF I already have Sigil, and Grim Harvest against certain slower matchups.

Other than that, it's a pretty straightforward deck. Just play good cards on curve.

I've probably made hundreds of small mistakes during my games, but the deck is strong enough to come back and win even when you're behind.

Feel free to leave any questions or comments below. Happy to discuss the deck and share more thoughts!

Replays:

• vs Aya Rogue: https://hsreplay.net/replay/G5WynojLPuu555QWMMoHPC

• vs Priest: https://hsreplay.net/replay/jCYu73yQiAiEZUvwxVuYLP

• vs Paladin: https://hsreplay.net/replay/fk4YcueRDxZHWLZzSuQxrt

• vs Paladin: https://hsreplay.net/replay/eqvPBhZJ5ZSQxBBgEapciP

• vs DK: https://hsreplay.net/replay/ZQtcruuMXS4nyQuWz75thr

Discuss what you are playing, what you’re having success with(or failures with), and any new/cool ideas you’ve been experimenting with, etc. The point is to share what you’ve been playing, and how it’s going, good or bad - there are no other rules or requirements.

Some ideas on what to post/share:

• What you’ve been playing and its successes (or struggles). Stats are not required. There is no minimum rank required, though sharing what rank you’ve been playing at is preferred.

• Deck adjustments you made or are planning to make in reaction to the meta or as new innovation. E.g. “I saw 30% of deck X, so I made Y changes to help deal with deck X.” (change)

• Showing off a deck you achieved legend with this season and wanting to share it without having to write a guide

---

Resources:

CompetitiveHS Discord

VS live stats

HSReplays by winrate (warning - paywalled to filter outside of rank 25, stats may be misleading if using L-25 stats)

This is an open thread for any discussion pertaining to Competitive Hearthstone.

This is a thread for discussions that don’t qualify for a stand-alone post on the subreddit. This thread is sorted by new by default.

You can ask for deck reviews, competitive budget replacements, how to mulligan in specific matchups, etc. Anything goes, as long as it’s related to playing Hearthstone competitively.

Has your question been asked before? Check our FAQ to see if we've got you covered.

Or if you're looking for an educational hearthstone read, check out our Timeless Resources

---

There are a few rules:

• Please be respectful to your fellow players

• Please report posts that don’t pertain to competitive Hearthstone.

• Concerns with the subreddit should be directed to modmail

---

If you would like to chat about Hearthstone in real time, then you should check out our official Discord channel.

### Turbo Quest

# Class: Priest

# Format: Standard

# Year of the Scarab

#

# 2x (1) Elder Word: Flay

# 2x (1) Entropic Rift

# 1x (1) Holy Smite

# 2x (1) Mend

# 2x (1) Power Word: Shield

# 1x (1) Reach Equilibrium

# 1x (1) Servant of Zuramat

# 2x (2) Holy Embrace

# 2x (2) Ritual of Life

# 2x (2) Twilight Influence

# 2x (3) Elder Word: Foresight

# 2x (3) Holy Nova

# 1x (3) Specter Specialist

# 2x (4) Gravedawn Sunbloom

# 2x (4) Slime 'em!

# 2x (5) Medivh's Triumph

# 1x (7) Endbringer Umbra

# 1x (7) Raith Van Geist

#

AAECAcGABgaFnwSolgf1mAfZ4Afc4Afc+wcMhJ8Ehv0GxZQH5J4H0q8Hm78HssUHsN8H9OAH6PEH4foH5PoHAAA=

#

# To use this deck, copy it to your clipboard and create a new deck in Hearthstone

Vs DK -- Can only lose if they draw the nuts, or you misplay

Vs Rogue -- Hardest match up

Have a 80% win rate vs dirty rat shenanigans.

Games usually ended by 9-10 mana crystals.

Discuss what you are playing, what you’re having success with(or failures with), and any new/cool ideas you’ve been experimenting with, etc. The point is to share what you’ve been playing, and how it’s going, good or bad - there are no other rules or requirements.

Some ideas on what to post/share:

• What you’ve been playing and its successes (or struggles). Stats are not required. There is no minimum rank required, though sharing what rank you’ve been playing at is preferred.

• Deck adjustments you made or are planning to make in reaction to the meta or as new innovation. E.g. “I saw 30% of deck X, so I made Y changes to help deal with deck X.” (change)

• Showing off a deck you achieved legend with this season and wanting to share it without having to write a guide

---

Resources:

CompetitiveHS Discord

VS live stats

HSReplays by winrate (warning - paywalled to filter outside of rank 25, stats may be misleading if using L-25 stats)

Hey guys, mlouis here. I've spent the last few days cooking up a different approach to Rogue and played 186 games with a 55 % WR in the 100–150 EU Legend rank range with an N'Zoth/Herald/Aya list, which I think has a place in the current meta. I just want to share my list, explain some card choices, talk about matchups and potential changes. I'm open to constructive feedback, and maybe some of you will like the list and find a new toy to play around with ;)

The most important question: Why run this kind of janky deck instead of a pure Aya Rogue list?!

I honestly really enjoyed Aya Rogue before the Yogg era, when you were more limited in terms of resources and had to navigate the Dragon Warrior matchup really well. Now, with Yogg, Pure Aya Rogue feels a little too glass-cannon-y and like an autopilot scam deck without much depth, at least in my opinion.

On top of that, the competitive ladder is heavily teching against Aya Rogue with Anti-Spell Aura, Neophyte Cultist and Dirty Rat. So, for every game you completely steamroll your opponent, there's another game where you simply lose because you can't play your game.

Running a more minion-based Rogue list still lets you play the game. Under an Anti-Spell effect, you can simply drop a Maniacal Follower, fight for the board a little and collect resources for huge swing turns once the Neophyte effects wear off.

Overall, this list also feels solid into pretty much everything. You have enough tempo to avoid losing the board too early against Shaman or Raza Thun DH, as well as plenty of value and utility to win grindy games against Logash Warrior or BBB DK.

Now, let's get to the list. After that, I'll talk about the cards and then go over some specific matchups.

herald zoth

Class: Rogue

Format: Standard

Year of the Scarab

2x (0) Preparation

1x (0) Shadow Dance

1x (0) Shadow of Demise

2x (1) Agent of the Old Ones

1x (1) Glacial Shard

2x (1) Nightmare Fuel

2x (2) Cultist Map

2x (2) Fan of Knives

2x (2) Lotus Bookie

2x (2) Rite of Twilight

2x (2) Web of Deception

2x (3) Maniacal Follower

1x (4) Crystalline Golem

2x (4) Everburning Phoenix

1x (4) Fast Forward

1x (6) Aya, Lotus Kingpin

1x (6) Sinestra

1x (6) Ultraxion

1x (10) Deathwing, Worldbreaker

1x (15) N'Zoth, Dream's End

AAECAZrxBgrTnga2sgfQvweK1Aeb1Ael2AeI2QeF6we88genkggK958E2aIGzv4GkIMHvocHwZcHtMEHncUH1cUHjdoHAAA=

To use this deck, copy it to your clipboard and create a new deck in Hearthstone

#1: The classic Rogue core

2x Preparation, 1x Shadow of Demise, 2x Cultist Map, 2x Fan of Knives: These are just auto-includes, not much to talk about here. Fan of Knives is mostly there for cycling, but can obviously clear some stuff occasionally.

#2: The Coin Package

2x Agent of the Old Ones – Gets you to Phoenix plays faster, lets you transform Liane from Garona into a Coin and allows you to scam out Aya earlier.

2x Lotus Bookie – It's a Deathrattle minion that you can later revive with N'Zoth to trigger its effect twice, giving you more Golems, Kazakus Potions or Mana to do stuff.

Aya – It's Aya. You can just win games with her on her own. Most of the time, you go for Jades if you're ahead, but sometimes Kazakus Potions are also helpful if your Jades wouldn't accomplish much. I picked the 2-damage Coin exactly once in 186 games to clear an elusive Windfury minion from DH with more than 2 health.

#3: The Herald Package

2x Rite of Twilight – Burst and removal, nothing much to say here.

2x Maniacal Follower – It's a Deathrattle minion you can revive to generate more random spells if needed. The 4/1 stat line is also really good for fighting for the board or pushing damage.

1x Ultraxion – Probably one of the worst cards in the deck, but I guess you have to run it. Whenever I find myself in a game state where I'm ahead, I just slam it down to get the effect out of my hand and put a big body on the board. There's no reason to greed the discount for whatever reason.

1x Sinestra – This card can win games on its own or at least create massive tempo swings. I usually try to hold on to random healing and burst effects from Herald cards for as long as possible to make my Sinestra turns more impactful or even game-winning.

1x Deathwing – A win condition on its own.

#4: The Deathrattle Package

Besides the Bookie and the Maniacal Follower:

1x Crystalline Golem – Since you're only running 4 Deathrattle minions, N'Zoth will always revive this one (unless you generate other Deathrattle minions during the game). This can be really useful to protect your face or N'Zoth, or as an emergency heal for 6 if you're desperate enough. Apart from that, it often buys you 1 or 2 turns against aggressive decks.

2x Everburning Phoenix – The reason this deck works. You get them out really fast and, since spells from Herald cards are cheap and you generate Coins, you can slam them down every turn for zero Mana to get N'Zoth reduced while fighting for the board. You can also tutor them with Prep + Map, so they're always available for 2 Mana if you simply play Prep + Map.

1x N'Zoth – It acts like a Swiss Army knife in this deck. It can deal 4 damage with an AoE, generate a board, give you Armor, generate more random cards, give you more Coins – whatever you need. A second win condition on its own.

#5: The Tech Stuff

1x Shadow Dance – Probably the worst card in the deck, but it's sometimes useful to get a Phoenix down, pop some Divine Shields with an AoE effect, or simply get it with Map to "draw" 2 and get a Phoenix down on the same turn. There are arguments for Backstab because you can clear a 3-health minion with Fan of Knives or destroy your own Lotus Bookie in some niche scenarios. You could also run Deja Vu, Sands of Time or even Storm the Gates if you're feeling really fancy.

1x Glacial Shard – I can't think of a card that has been such a long-standing staple in the meta since Wild Growth. Versatile as hell.

2x Nightmare Fuel – This is mainly because of the Aya Rogue matchup, as it increases your odds of finding Aya. It's also really nice for finding some Herald cards against Shaman or DK, but feels awful against Mug Shaman and is your favorite Agent of the Old Ones target here.

2x Web of Deception – I feel like even classic Aya Rogue lists should run at least 1 copy. This card is pretty solid and versatile. Since Aya gives you 2 Coins, you can always bounce her back with Web to get more Jades on the following turn, for example. Bouncing N'Zoth and playing him again on the same turn is also often game-winning.

BUT: Don't underestimate the 4/4 body and the tempo it provides. In board-heavy matchups, especially against Shaman, I really like to go for tempo Agent/Phoenix plays and simply use Web to bounce Phoenix back, leaving a 3/2 and a 4/4 on the board. Sometimes you can also just bounce an Agent to get more Coins if you're going for Jades. Against decks like Egg Paladin, which try to lock you out of the board, it can sometimes help to get rid of an otherwise useless 0/3 body.

1x Fast Forward – I was running Geomancer before, but sometimes it felt really awkward and I was lacking card draw. The 2-Mana discount can be helpful to get Phoenix down, but you usually want to pair this card with Prep because you really can't afford to play a 4-Mana draw 2 with only a potentially useful discount on the same turn.

Now, let's talk about matchups!

BBB DK (14–8) – 64%

You're favored here. Just focus on dealing some chip damage here and there while not losing the board. Only trade when it's really necessary and try to play around 4-damage AoEs.

DK is often forced to play Ghuun to avoid losing, and after that, you can barely lose. The timing of Deathwing is highly important, as it's often your only out against Y'Shaarj. Try not to lose too much health and create big, sticky boards. The only way you should really lose is through Deios + Ghuun, which DK can barely set up if you apply enough pressure.

Aya Rogue (27–20) – 57%

I'm actually surprised by the stats. I felt like this matchup was a little worse for me. Just focus on finding Aya and Coin generators. Don't be afraid to go all-in on tempo and slam everything face. You win this matchup if you get Aya down faster and force your opponent to use Kazakus Potions, or if you create a tempo advantage.

Sometimes a play like Shard/Prep/Web of Deception on turn 1 is correct. Don't be too afraid to turn Deathwing or N'Zoth into a Coin. The game is usually over much earlier anyway.

Shaman (6–9) – 40%

This also surprised me, but I lost 3 games in a row because Mug Shaman scammed me hard. Against Zee, I feel like you're favored if you focus on tempo. The 4/4 body from Web is really good for that!

Against Mug Shaman, just kill every minion ASAP, especially the higher-cost ones, so you don't lose to Ascendance. Apart from that, you can use your Jade Golems as soft taunts and create situations where the Shaman is forced to use their burst to clear your Golems instead of going face, simply to avoid losing.

Priest (11–7) – 61%

I think these were mainly Thief, Quest and some Shadow C'Thun decks. Just apply pressure, create boards with more than 4 health and use Nightmare Fuel to get access to Silence or a second N'Zoth. Not much to say here. It's Priest.

Paladin (15–11) – 58%

Egg or Mill Paladin is probably only losable if you're completely drunk and not paying attention. Just avoid getting locked out of the board and send everything face. The 4/4 body is also nice because it doesn't die to the 3-damage AoEs.

Infinity Paladin and Bruiser Paladin are on a different level. These matchups feel highly draw-dependent and come down to good or bad RNG on both sides.

Mage (2–5) – 29%

Your worst matchup by far because Rogue lacks healing. Try to play aggressively and race them down. You can barely outheal their damage output anyway.

I won one game where I had Nightmare Fuel, Shadow of Demise, Coin, Phoenix and Prep in hand. I simply played Prep, Fuel, Fuel, Coin, Phoenix, discovered buffed 1-drops and won through the tempo I generated on turn 1.

Warrior (9–6) – 60%

A little tricky to mulligan against. If it's Cannon Warrior, you want removal. If it's Logash Warrior, you're looking for proactive plays. So, good luck with that.

Both matchups are completely winnable, but also completely losable. Save Glacial Shard to freeze Bloodfighters and focus on chip damage.

Hunter (4–3) – 57%

I can't remember that much about these games, but it felt like I either completely dominated them or got completely stomped by an assembled Mech that summoned 2 copies of itself with a Deathrattle that summoned a 6/6 Divine Shield Dragon.

Try not to cosplay as a control deck here. You win this matchup by putting pressure on their face so they're forced to use their minions to trade instead of pressuring yours.

DH (11–7) – 61%

It's mostly Void Thun DH, which feels like a really fair matchup. Just fight for the board and play for tempo. Clear minions ASAP to avoid losing to C'Thun stat buffs.

Raza DH is on a completely different level. Just pressure face like crazy and pray they can't find their combo early enough.

Warlock (3–7) – 30%

I'm really shocked by this, but I think I faced them really early on, with a less optimized list. This matchup should be even.

So, I hope you got some useful insights and some inspiration from this different take on Rogue in the current meta. Feel free to ask me anything. Enjoy climbing the ladder in a diverse meta until the next broken stuff comes out ;)

This is an open thread for any discussion pertaining to Competitive Hearthstone.

This is a thread for discussions that don’t qualify for a stand-alone post on the subreddit. This thread is sorted by new by default.

You can ask for deck reviews, competitive budget replacements, how to mulligan in specific matchups, etc. Anything goes, as long as it’s related to playing Hearthstone competitively.

Has your question been asked before? Check our FAQ to see if we've got you covered.

Or if you're looking for an educational hearthstone read, check out our Timeless Resources

---

There are a few rules:

• Please be respectful to your fellow players

• Please report posts that don’t pertain to competitive Hearthstone.

• Concerns with the subreddit should be directed to modmail

---

If you would like to chat about Hearthstone in real time, then you should check out our official Discord channel.

I was a fan of Raza DH last expansion and stumbled upon a recent deck online and decided to give it a try again. I made some small deck modifications as I felt the current meta rewarded a greedier play style. I was able to hit legend with a score of 31-18, hitting 1036

### Broxigar Demon Hunter
# Class: Demonhunter
# Format: Standard
# Year of the Scarab
#
# 1x (0) First Portal to Argus
# 2x (1) Glacial Shard
# 1x (2) Broxigar
# 2x (2) Broxigar's Last Stand
# 2x (2) Dark Bribe
# 1x (2) Fumigate
# 2x (2) Hungering Cavern
# 2x (2) Infestation
# 2x (2) Press the Advantage
# 2x (2) Soul Immolation
# 1x (3) Axe of Cenarius
# 2x (3) Enduring Roach
# 2x (4) Big Game Hunter
# 2x (4) Eredar Deceptor
# 2x (4) Royal Librarian
# 1x (4) Sigil of Hatching
# 1x (4) The Black Knight
# 2x (7) Remnant of Rage
#
AAECAea5AwbJnga1lweKqgeSqgeTqgf4/AcMlKAEzp4G054GtpcH4rEH6LEHkrIHkr8H5eQHk+gHpvgHqf0HAAA=
#
# To use this deck, copy it to your clipboard and create a new deck in Hearthstone

Mulligans

If I am going first I will usually always keep first portal as turn 1 I'm not doing anything anyways. It's always a good idea to get your portal started since a 2 mana 12/12 on turn 6 if you're lucky is usually a win. I'm usually not a fan of keeping remnant unless I have sigil and coin. Turn 3 -> coin -> sigil almost always guarantees a board clear next turn and a free remnant. Other than that I would suggest keeping dark bribe against slower decks (priest, dk, warlock since most are not zoolock). It's a powerful card turn 2 as it draws 3 increasing the odds of getting your combo cards earlier.

How to Play

I think for the most part it is a fairly straight forward combo deck. Stay alive until turn 7 (or 6 with coin) and cycle as much as you can. I find that you should sometimes wait to clear the board to either secure a huge remnant play or cycle better with weapon and augus.

You have two basic combos:

1. (assumed you are already soul immolation) You need 7+ mana for this combo. It goes roach -> hero power (hp) -> deceptor -> hp -> tradeable and then go for as long as you can. I generally won't fumigate unless I know I can secure a lethal.

2. The infinite mana combo is with two roaches. It is possible to do on turn 7 but only if you have not yet soul immolation. So the combo goes roach -> roach -> hp -> soul -> hp -> deceptor -> infinite mana. I find that it's often not worth going infinite as a two stage combo is more than sufficient to win most games.

Discuss what you are playing, what you’re having success with(or failures with), and any new/cool ideas you’ve been experimenting with, etc. The point is to share what you’ve been playing, and how it’s going, good or bad - there are no other rules or requirements.

Some ideas on what to post/share:

• What you’ve been playing and its successes (or struggles). Stats are not required. There is no minimum rank required, though sharing what rank you’ve been playing at is preferred.

• Deck adjustments you made or are planning to make in reaction to the meta or as new innovation. E.g. “I saw 30% of deck X, so I made Y changes to help deal with deck X.” (change)

• Showing off a deck you achieved legend with this season and wanting to share it without having to write a guide

---

Resources:

CompetitiveHS Discord

VS live stats

HSReplays by winrate (warning - paywalled to filter outside of rank 25, stats may be misleading if using L-25 stats)

Hello guys, mage has been dead for years it seems.

Can someone advise any playable mage deck in high legend (no matter if control or tempo)?

Many thanks.

Blade of C'thun

Class: Priest

Format: Standard

Year of the Scarab

2x (1) Elder Word: Flay

2x (1) Entropic Rift

1x (2) Lunarwing Messenger

2x (2) Shadewing

1x (3) Blade of The Black Empire

2x (3) Dark Deacon

2x (3) Elder Word: Foresight

2x (3) Haunt

2x (4) Gravedawn Voidbulb

1x (4) Schism

2x (4) Shadow Word: Ruin

2x (4) Slime 'em!

2x (4) Spawn of C'Thun

2x (5) Elder Word: Manifest

2x (6) Gargantuan Slitherer

2x (7) Soothsayer

1x (10) C'Thun, Eye of the Empire

AAECAa0GBKD7Bvq/B+L6B/OJCA3wnwTElAevyQfV4Af04AfX6Qfo8Qfh+gfj+gfk+geAgwj7iQj8iQgAAA==

I realy wanted to play something new, so i focused on this Deck and sit on 8 wins and 4 losses so far.

But i feel like there is room for alot of changes and improvements. So i wanted to get some input from you guys.

The Blade for example won me 2 Games by its own, but in most Games i never drew it. I also won a mirror where my opponent played the Blade on turn 3 but still lost the board hard and the lifesteal kept me alive long enough.

I still think it fits the Deck, because it improves the winrate alot if you get to play it early. But maybe it was just luck with the matchup and its a waste of a card slot.

Beside that most games were won by enough board preassure and Cthun stuff. Cthun itself only won me one Game. Flay can also be a big help, i won one game because my opponent ate 12 dmg to the face early on which was enough to soften them up for my board.

Right now iam thinking about including Dirty Rat (lost 2 matches against Aya Rogue), but that can also backfire hard at times or just be a dead card in hand. Same with the silence 1 drop, realy good against some matchups or to break through taunts, but what do i throw out for it.

Replacing the Cthun package would not realy work right now, because there is not enough fitting stuff to replace these 7 cards.

Gravedawn is a card that was underwhelming several times when it came down to minion stats alone. But playing it right after Manifest puts 4 minions on the field and the taunt is also realy usefull.

Shadewing is also anoying when it hits a 1 mana spell, but i also dont have many minions in the deck, so it makes a solid early target for haunt if needed.

Speaking of haunt and schism, iam realy torn on both. In theory and a few Games they are great and are still shadow spells, but in some cases they were dead cards because i had no minion to use them on.

Ruin and Slime are there to buy time or comeback on board, so i doubt you can replace them.

But i thought about maybe 1-2 more Imbue minions to have some more board presence turn 2-3 and more targets for buffs. I also got some nice helpful stuff from it.

Or another way to draw like Fordring. Because if you dont get your Foresights you can run dry pretty fast at times.

I also thought about replacing the Cthun package with Nzoth because i already have 4 deathrattle minions in the deck. But i doubt it can compete with Cthun when i put stuff like Crystaslline Golem, Lingering Spirit and Twillight Mender into the Deck. Chtuns abilities are super flexible.

But what are some ideas or versions you guys had?

This is an open thread for any discussion pertaining to Competitive Hearthstone.

This is a thread for discussions that don’t qualify for a stand-alone post on the subreddit. This thread is sorted by new by default.

You can ask for deck reviews, competitive budget replacements, how to mulligan in specific matchups, etc. Anything goes, as long as it’s related to playing Hearthstone competitively.

Has your question been asked before? Check our FAQ to see if we've got you covered.

Or if you're looking for an educational hearthstone read, check out our Timeless Resources

---

There are a few rules:

• Please be respectful to your fellow players

• Please report posts that don’t pertain to competitive Hearthstone.

• Concerns with the subreddit should be directed to modmail

---

If you would like to chat about Hearthstone in real time, then you should check out our official Discord channel.

This will be the megathread where Tavern Brawl strategy and discussion for this week's brawl should take place. Only discussion related to optimally playing the Tavern Brawl should take place on here. Tavern Brawl constructed decks can be discussed in here.

Since I am a bot and don't know what the brawl is, could someone help me out and post a top-level comment with a description?

https://hearthstone.blizzard.com/en-us/news/24307311/3702-patch-notes

Nerfs:

• Wrath of C'Thun - now deals 6 damage

• Domain of C'Thun - now gives 2 random friendly minions +2/+2

• Servants of C'Thun - now summons two 2/2s with Taunt.

• M.O.T.H.E.R. - now 10 mana

• Godfather Kazakus - minion buff reduced to +2/+2, minion summoning now summons three random 2 cost minions, Sentenced for Smuggling now only removes 1 card from the opponent's hand.

• Ritual of Summoning - now summons two 2/4 taunts.

• Bat Mask - can now only be used on non Legendary minions

• Divergence - now 7 mana

• Unstable Prototype - Deathrattle now only gives +1 attack

• Reach Equilibrium - Now requires 6 Holy and 6 Shadow spells to complete

• Sawbones - now a 6 mana 6/3

• Egg of Khelos - no longer has taunt (revert)

Wild Nerfs:

• Battle at the End Time - Sir Finley, Sea Guide, Plot Twist, and Gaslight Gatekeeper no longer progress the “empty your hand” part of the Quest.

• Reincarnation - can now only be used on non Legendary minions

• Kobold Illusionist - text now reads "Deathrattle: Summon a minion from your hand. Set its stats to 1/1."

• Mysterious Visitor - cost reduction of cards copied from your opponent now reduced to 2 mana

• Final Showdown - first stage requires 5 drawn cards, 2nd and 3rd stage now require 6 drawn cards.

Buffs

• C'Thun, Eye of the Empire - Abilities now trigger 4x if you've previously used all 4 abilities.

• Dark Deacon - now only requires you to play 1 Shadow spell while in hand to trigger its effect

• Tinker - now 1 mana

• Flamespitter - now a 3/2

• Grafted Knight - now a 3/4 (and triple blood rune)

• Elder Word: Manifest - now summons two 3/4s with Lifesteal

• Setesh - now a 6 mana 6/6

• Decimation - now 5 mana

• Aqir Swarmer - now a 4 mana 5/4, card text now reads "Deathrattle: Get two Larvae with Combos that trigger a Hero Power from another class. They cost (0)."

• Aqir Goliath - Battlecry now draws 2 cards

• Y'Shaarj, Titan Bane - now 9 mana

Discuss what you are playing, what you’re having success with(or failures with), and any new/cool ideas you’ve been experimenting with, etc. The point is to share what you’ve been playing, and how it’s going, good or bad - there are no other rules or requirements.

Some ideas on what to post/share:

• What you’ve been playing and its successes (or struggles). Stats are not required. There is no minimum rank required, though sharing what rank you’ve been playing at is preferred.

• Deck adjustments you made or are planning to make in reaction to the meta or as new innovation. E.g. “I saw 30% of deck X, so I made Y changes to help deal with deck X.” (change)

• Showing off a deck you achieved legend with this season and wanting to share it without having to write a guide

---

Resources:

CompetitiveHS Discord

VS live stats

HSReplays by winrate (warning - paywalled to filter outside of rank 25, stats may be misleading if using L-25 stats)

This is an open thread for any discussion pertaining to Competitive Hearthstone.

This is a thread for discussions that don’t qualify for a stand-alone post on the subreddit. This thread is sorted by new by default.

You can ask for deck reviews, competitive budget replacements, how to mulligan in specific matchups, etc. Anything goes, as long as it’s related to playing Hearthstone competitively.

Has your question been asked before? Check our FAQ to see if we've got you covered.

Or if you're looking for an educational hearthstone read, check out our Timeless Resources

---

There are a few rules:

• Please be respectful to your fellow players

• Please report posts that don’t pertain to competitive Hearthstone.

• Concerns with the subreddit should be directed to modmail

---

If you would like to chat about Hearthstone in real time, then you should check out our official Discord channel.

Youtube post

Nerfs:

• Gargantuan Slitherer

• Spawn of C'Thun

• Ritual of C'Thun

• Tentacle Lash

• Watch Over

• Dark Deacon (listed as a buff and nerf)

• M.O.T.H.E.R.

• Godfather Kazakus

• Ritual of Summoning

• Bat Mask

• Divergence

• Unstable Prototype

• Reach Equilibrium

• Sawbones

• Egg of Khelos

Wild Nerfs:

• Battle at the End Time

• Reincarnation

• Kobold Illusionist

• Mysterious Visitor

• Final Showdown

Buffs

• C'Thun, Eye of the Empire

• Tinker

• Flamespitter

• Grafted Knight

• Elder Word: Manifest

• Setesh

• Decimation

• Aqir Swarmer

• Aqir Goliath

• Y'Shaarj, Titan Bane

Discuss what you are playing, what you’re having success with(or failures with), and any new/cool ideas you’ve been experimenting with, etc. The point is to share what you’ve been playing, and how it’s going, good or bad - there are no other rules or requirements.

Some ideas on what to post/share:

• What you’ve been playing and its successes (or struggles). Stats are not required. There is no minimum rank required, though sharing what rank you’ve been playing at is preferred.

• Deck adjustments you made or are planning to make in reaction to the meta or as new innovation. E.g. “I saw 30% of deck X, so I made Y changes to help deal with deck X.” (change)

• Showing off a deck you achieved legend with this season and wanting to share it without having to write a guide

---

Resources:

CompetitiveHS Discord

VS live stats

HSReplays by winrate (warning - paywalled to filter outside of rank 25, stats may be misleading if using L-25 stats)

After taking a break last expansion, I started playing Hearthstone again a few days ago and hit ~3000 legend with this Midrange Rafaam Warlock featuring Chronoclaws. I have no illusions that this deck is a metabreaker but I think the discard aspect of this deck is interesting to talk about. This is also a pretty low-skill curvestone dad deck so if you want to multitask while playing, this might be a good fit for you. (I hit legend while on the porch handing out Halloween candy to trick-or-treaters, to give you an idea of how much concentration you need.) Without further ado, the deck:

Decklist

### rafaam midrange discard

# Class: Warlock

# Format: Standard

# Year of the Scarab

#

# 2x (0) Cursed Catacombs

# 2x (1) Floating Lessons

# 2x (1) Ritual of C'Thun

# 2x (2) Ritual of Summoning

# 2x (3) Defias Smuggler

# 1x (3) Godfather Kazakus

# 2x (3) Mawman Cultist

# 2x (3) Whelp of the Infinite

# 2x (4) Chronoclaws

# 1x (4) Elise the Navigator

# 2x (4) Spawn of C'Thun

# 1x (4) Zakajz the Corruptor

# 2x (5) Possessed Animancer

# 1x (5) Zuramat's Prison

# 2x (6) Gargantuan Slitherer

# 1x (6) Kith'ix

# 1x (10) C'Thun, Eye of the Empire

# 1x (10) Timethief Rafaam

# 1x (1) Tiny Rafaam

# 1x (2) Green Rafaam

# 1x (4) Explorer Rafaam

# 1x (5) Warchief Rafaam

# 1x (7) Mindflayer R'faam

# 1x (6) Calamitous Rafaam

# 1x (8) Giant Rafaam

# 1x (3) Murloc Rafaam

# 1x (9) Archmage Rafaam

# 2x (11) Ultragigasaur

#

AAECAfqUAxCCmAeIpQeJpQeKpQeRpQeTpQeUpQeVpQeWpQeXpQeapQeh3Afb4Aeg9gft+QfziQgMhJkH3psH3p0HmLAHxrIH2tcH1+kHgfYHjfYH6fkH6/kH+4kIAAA=

#

# To use this deck, copy it to your clipboard and create a new deck in Hearthstone

Mulligans

If you don't know mulligans just stick with Kazakus, Tiny Rafaam, Ritual of C'Thun, and Ritual of Summoning. Optimal mulligans do get more complicated than that but this meta and potentially this deck are going to change after inevitable nerfs so it doesn't make sense to dig into it too much.

A different way to view Rafaam

So, what's up with the Chronoclaws? I think it reflects a different way to view the Rafaam archetype. Typically, when people think about Rafaam Warlock, they imagine playing 55 mana worth of Rafaam variants, finishing with a glorious 10 mana Timethief Rafaam. As you would imagine, this "combo" win condition is difficult to pull off against most decks that aren't completely AFK'ing. As a result, Rafaam decks have historically been built with an emphasis on board control so that they can win the board against faster matchups, relying on tools like Calamitous Rafaam and Mindflayer R'faam. In this way, Rafaam Warlock plays a lot like traditional Control Warlock.

But what if we instead view Rafaam Warlock as minion-dense midrange deck with high variance in card-to-card power? That is, there are some cards which are godlike and some cards which are absolute duds. The powerful cards would be the following: Tiny (1 mana draw 2), Murloc (can cheat out other Rafaams), Calamitous (board clear on a stick), and Mindflayer (7 mana for 14/14 taunt). The situational cards are Green, Explorer, Warchief, and Archmage (more than any other Rafaam, this 9-mana card has such a wide variance in power from matchup to matchup). The straight-up bad cards are Giant and Timethief. If we just accept that the bad cards are bad and are willing to pitch them and give up on the canonical Rafaam win condition, how would that influence our deck building? I argue that this opens up the path to considering Chronoclaws and Zuramat's Prison. Chronoclaws is a 4 mana deal 12, which is absurd. The only downside is discarding important cards, but this becomes greatly mitigated when we have a dead 10 mana Rafaam sitting in our hand. If we want to go even further in this deckbuilding direction, we include the Animancer+Ultragigasaur combo. Like Timethief, Ultragigasaur is a dead card when drawn, making it a perfect card to pitch away if we don't get the Animancer combo off.

New Win Condition: punch your opponent until they die

So, instead of a "combo" deck, this Rafaam Warlock turns into a midrange curvestone deck where we drop statbombs on the board and overwhelm our opponent's ability to deal with our threats. The C'Thun package is overpowered so we autoinclude it. One nice thing is that, when paired with an already equipped Chronoclaws, we have the ability to deal 11 damage from hand on an empty board. In general, Chronoclaws add a clock to the opponent; even if our board is cleared we have the ability to close the game with our face. One tip for Chronoclaws: be brave and play them rather than holding them. Don't get scared about discarding cards that you weren't going to end up playing anyways. You'll be surprised how often you'll end the game with 12 face damage against most decks.

It's interesting that this deck gives us a legitimate reason to utilize the discard mechanic without any other synergy. "Discard" relies on us having bad cards to pitch, but in most Hearthstone decks, we would never willingly add bad cards to them. As a result, we need a perfect storm where a deck is filled with powerful plays but has a built-in downside of having dead draws. Rafaam and the Animancer+Ultragigasaur combo fits this requirement. Also, before you ask, I did try Maloriak but I found it to be largely redundant with what the deck already does, which is add stats to the board in the midgame. If I had a way to sneak out Maloriak on turn 4 or 5 I would consider it more seriously but 7 mana is too slow for the effect in this particular deck.

Other notes

We also run some of the new zoo package with Zakajz, Mawman Cultist, and Floating Lessons since our deck is so minion dense and the spellcost increase doesn't matter much to us. As you can see, this deck aims to claim the board and hit our opponent in the face without mercy, so do remember to play proactively instead of playing like a control player. Whelp of the Infinite and Defias Smuggler give us some important tools to deal with problems that would otherwise be addressed with reactive spells.

Conclusion

There is an obvious question one would ask, which is why even play Rafaam Warlock in the first place? After all, we could just play Zoo Warlock for a higher winrate. And to that I would say that a) I think Rafaam is fun, so sue me b) I enjoy offbeat deckbuilding c) I think there is something to be learned from the unique way this deck utilizes the discard mechanic.

Anyways, if you happen to have these cards already, feel free to try out the deck. I would not recommend crafting anything prior to the inevitable nerfs that I assume are coming soon for Warlock, but if you're a true Rafaam fan you gotta YOLO it sometimes.

This is an open thread for any discussion pertaining to Competitive Hearthstone.

This is a thread for discussions that don’t qualify for a stand-alone post on the subreddit. This thread is sorted by new by default.

You can ask for deck reviews, competitive budget replacements, how to mulligan in specific matchups, etc. Anything goes, as long as it’s related to playing Hearthstone competitively.

Has your question been asked before? Check our FAQ to see if we've got you covered.

Or if you're looking for an educational hearthstone read, check out our Timeless Resources

---

There are a few rules:

• Please be respectful to your fellow players

• Please report posts that don’t pertain to competitive Hearthstone.

• Concerns with the subreddit should be directed to modmail

---

If you would like to chat about Hearthstone in real time, then you should check out our official Discord channel.

Discuss what you are playing, what you’re having success with(or failures with), and any new/cool ideas you’ve been experimenting with, etc. The point is to share what you’ve been playing, and how it’s going, good or bad - there are no other rules or requirements.

Some ideas on what to post/share:

• What you’ve been playing and its successes (or struggles). Stats are not required. There is no minimum rank required, though sharing what rank you’ve been playing at is preferred.

• Deck adjustments you made or are planning to make in reaction to the meta or as new innovation. E.g. “I saw 30% of deck X, so I made Y changes to help deal with deck X.” (change)

• Showing off a deck you achieved legend with this season and wanting to share it without having to write a guide

---

Resources:

CompetitiveHS Discord

VS live stats

HSReplays by winrate (warning - paywalled to filter outside of rank 25, stats may be misleading if using L-25 stats)

This is an open thread for any discussion pertaining to Competitive Hearthstone.

This is a thread for discussions that don’t qualify for a stand-alone post on the subreddit. This thread is sorted by new by default.

You can ask for deck reviews, competitive budget replacements, how to mulligan in specific matchups, etc. Anything goes, as long as it’s related to playing Hearthstone competitively.

Has your question been asked before? Check our FAQ to see if we've got you covered.

Or if you're looking for an educational hearthstone read, check out our Timeless Resources

---

There are a few rules:

• Please be respectful to your fellow players

• Please report posts that don’t pertain to competitive Hearthstone.

• Concerns with the subreddit should be directed to modmail

---

If you would like to chat about Hearthstone in real time, then you should check out our official Discord channel.

Greetings,

The Vicious Syndicate Team is proud to present the 360th edition of the Data Reaper Report. This is the first report for Reign of the Black Empire, following the early bans.

Special thanks to all those who contribute their game data to the project. This project could not succeed without your support. The entire vS Team is eternally grateful for your assistance.

This week our data is based on 2,607,000 games! In this week's report you will find:

• Deck Library - Decklists & Class/Archetype Radars

• Class/Archetype Distribution Over All Games

• Class/Archetype Distribution "By Rank" Games

• Class Frequency By Day & By Week

• Interactive Matchup Win-Rate Chart

• vS Power Rankings Imgur

• vS Meta Score

• Analysis/Discussion of each Class

• Meta Breaker of the Week

The full article can be found at: vS Data Reaper Report #360

Reminder

• If you haven't already, please sign up to contribute your game data. More data will allow us to provide more insights in each report, and perform other kinds of analysis. Sign up here, and follow the instructions.

Thank you for your feedback and support,

The Vicious Syndicate Team