This deck has been so much fun for me recently. Saw Thijs playing this and wanted to try it because it is so minion based. Handlock always feels like I am behind on board but this deck rarely feels like that.
There are a lot of tech slots, I’ve been hitting a lot of mages so I have big game hunter and mind control and voodoo doll, but against mech Paladin Spellbreakers would obviously be better. It all depends what you are playing against.
The jaraxxus heal is clutch but you have to know when to play him, and know your opponents available reach.
This is my highest winrate deck so it suits my playstyle. If I have the time I’ll push for legend with this I think (big if though)
The wincondition is reducing their life count to zero.
You play strong minions, maximize good trades, and will run out control and aggro with medium size threats/healing.
Jaraxxus is not replaceable here, and baristas lynchen is key to get more out of your battlecries. The most valuable to copy so far are omega agent, crowd roaster, and sun fury protector.
It’s the same kind of gameplay as handlock but instead of hoping to take the board back with board clears you do it with superior minions.
It does well against control because it wastes no cards on draw, it just lets the hero power carry and jaraxxus ensures a steady stream of late game threats.
It does good against aggro because of the large minions which set up good trades against them and eventually win the board.
From the YouTube comments it seems Thijs bought a hotdog in LA and overpaid by 10 bucks, making it an expensive hotdog. This deck is also expensive, I guess?
Is rafaam necessary? Not sure I want to craft Jaraxxus to play this but I might since he’s classic and I definitely don’t want to craft two legendaries.
Jaraxxus is mandatory. Rafaam is not. Rafaam only helps against bombs and Hakkar, you could easily replace him I think.
Edit: jaraxxus is really hard to use though. I’ve been playing since beta and I only just crafted him because he’s no blood reaver Gul’dan or dr boom, you really have to know when to throw him down and you will get frustrated learning to find that balance lol. If you have Alexstrasza you can just practice with her and if you think you can maximize her value, go ahead and craft jaraxxus.
Dr boom can give 14 armor if you roll the armor hero power. Jaraxxus can heal for 14, so he’s also very strong for recovering health, but with a significant risk attached. I’ve won more than once now against rogues and hunters throwing leeroy at me and leaving me with sub 5 health
I have all the pieces and it seems like the type of deck I tend to like the most. I’ll probably mess with it some this weekend. Thank you for posting =)
I was playing during my lunch break and someone walked past me and said “warlock? Are you playing tavern brawl?” So I figured warlock and non zoo warlock in general needed some recognition haha.
When you play it right, you end up at 5 health and below regularly but still manage to win, it’s a really fun deck.
Something I wanted to add but don’t know what to cut is a nightmare amalgam for a dragon activator AND a zilliax magnetic target.
Because this deck draws a lot, even one of tech choices end up being fairly consistent, and a 6 health heal from a 6/6 zilliax is nothing to shy away from and I’ve had Rafaam as a dead card in my hand many times. The times he has saved me is purely from his taunt body and maybe one good minion that he gives me. The bigger zilliax is an easy replacement for that imo.
We may be playing very differently. I never find that I am completely behind on board. Playing doomsayer on the right turn, and knowing when you want to trade your board or use your from hand removal will change how the game plays out. Also not being afraid to hit the hero power early on.
I’m finding I don’t have enough early plays in order to hold the board. Anything aggressive runs away with it, and I’m barely holding on until maybe I get a Twisting Nether.
This feels like a control deck that is trying to be midrange, rather than an actual midrange deck.
I’ll have to think about the plays I’m making with your experience in mind and think about what I’m doing differently the next time I’m on.
Edit: this deck is more proactive with minions on the board than handlock, but is better than dragon decks from other classes because of the better draw (which increases the likelihood of having the right answer at the right time) and jaraxxus late game. Are you getting enough mileage of the hero power early game? The mulligan should be for firetree, twilight, and some matchups doomsayer. Specific tech sometimes depending on the matchup too.
I think Rafaam is the first one to go honestly if needed.
I have a control warlock that has some similarities to this list. Less dragon focused. Alex is clutch. It makes warrior matches easier, especially beside Jarraxus. It also offers some healing which warlock lacks. I actually include the new taunt specifically for that. Its 4 attack really lines up well, and you are often just trying to get to your value engines to dominate the board.
![:hotdog:](https://dacy5cilkxabf.cloudfront.net/en/hearthstone/images/emoji/twitter/hotdog.png?v=6" ":hotdog:")
![:stuck_out_tongue:](https://dacy5cilkxabf.cloudfront.net/en/hearthstone/images/emoji/twitter/stuck_out_tongue.png?v=6" ":stuck_out_tongue:")