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Fade2Karma Deck of the Week: Dragonlock

by - 9 years ago

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Every week the pros from team Fade2Karma break down the “Deck of the Week” . These decks are seeing a lot of play either in constructed ladder or tournaments. Team F2K explain the deck lists and how to play them. View past Deck Lists of the Week.

Hello! I am Dethelor and this is my second article in the F2K Deck of the Week series. This week I’m presenting a unique deck firstly popularized in my series against Lifecoach in the WCA Qualifiers. This deck is created by our team captain, Theude and is a new take on Control Warlock – combining elements from Handlock and Malylock. It sacrifices Sludge Belchers and some situation cards in favor of Dragons and Blackwing Corruptors.

dragonlockThis is the list I used against Lifecoach, it’s a pretty greedy one but playing 3 dragons increases the chances of having enablers for your Corruptors. All the dragons are replaceable; you can run 2 or 3 out of Chromaggus, MalygosAlexstrasza and Ysera. Even Deathwing could be considered. Alexstrasza is not mandatory but can be very useful for both aggressive and defensive reasons and your opponents rarely play around her. Malygos can be good against midrange decks as a body/tempo play and against control decks as an extra threat/finisher. Chromaggus’s effect is not that great but he is decent since he is a) an 8-drop, b) a dragon, c) provides a solid body for trades/taunts and has to be dealt asap Ysera is the goddess of control mirrors but is too slow against faster decks (which should and will probably rush you).

Possible replacements excluding the Dragons:

Generic Mulligan and Strategy

Against Aggro: Surviving here is key! Mortal Coil is golden against Hunter/Paladins. Keep Darkbomb / Watcher and Sunfury if you have a Watcher in Hand. Owl is nice against Hunter/Zoo but the key to victory are our Molten Giants especially when facing face decks. Corruptors can be decent against Jugglers/Wyrms/Apprentices etc.

Against Midrange/Control: Similarly to the standard Handlock we are a t4 deck. Our deck is in a very good shape when we manage to play a Drake or Mountain Giant on t4 which doesn’t get answered (bgh/silence). Getting value out of Blackwing is huge as it can kill Shredders, Acolytes and many other mid-game threats. We mostly keep Mountain Giants and Twilight Drakes with some flavor keeps depending on the match-up. Loatheb is key against control decks, BGH destroys Handlocks and even Emperor could be kept against other slow control decks if you have the coin and a 4-drop in hand.

Matchups

Control Warrior – Favorable

If played correctly this match-up is in our favor. We can outlast their 2 Brawls by outvalueing their mid-range threats by making favorable trades with Corruptors/Defenders. Life-tap ensures we will never run out of gas but make sure they don’t win in fatigue!

Patron Warrior – Favorable

You should play this match-up very aggressively! Aim for an early Giant and don’t trade unless it’s really necessary. Attacking an Acolyte with an 8 attack Giant is a big no-no. Loatheb is awesome as it prevents almost all power turns of Patron except for the Emperor, so make sure you play it either on t5 or after their Emperor (if their card count is low – you can play it anytime). Save a Hellfire or Shadowflame in case they decide to swarm the board with Patrons.

Zoolock – Favorable

Keep making favorable trades and force them into awkward turns. Deny their power plays with Owl/BGH and try to survive until the late game. If you have Molten Giants in hand, force them into tough decisions by playing slightly greedily. Taunting 1 drake and 1 Molten can easily put you back in the game.

Handlock – Fair

On paper this match-up looks favorable for us as we have more threats than they do. However Ragnaros / Jaraxxus and Sylvanas can be game-changing and we don’t run any of these cards. Try to populate the board first and don’t attack their face unless you are certain to score a kill in the next turns. If one of the players manages to keep Emperor for more than one turn on board the game is probably over.

Oil Rogue – Fair

Similar to Handlock this match-up can go either way. Belchers are very strong against Rogue but Blackwing Corruptors are also excellent as they deal perfectly with all their minions except Violet Teachers. Don’t let them out-tempo you and play Loatheb to nullify one of their crucial turns. Keep an eye on your health pool as they are capable of huge burst turns.

Midrange Paladin – Slightly Unfavorable

Keep Hellfire, Mortal Coil and Darkbomb for Jugglers as well as your 4-drops. They don’t have a lot of reach so you should take some risks and ideally play Molten Giants and Loatheb in the same turn.

Aggro Paladin – Unfavorable

Similar to Midrange Paladin but even harder because of their burst potential. Divine Favor is huge for them so use Life Tap at your own Risk. Most lists run 0 equality so Taunting 2 big minions in the late-game can turn the game around.

Tempo Mage – Slightly Favorable

Kinda like Handlock this match-up is pretty good for us. Hellfire can stop a good start from them and Corruptors are very strong against their early game threats. Keep in mind their late game burst, especially if they have played Emperor or Antonidas.

Freeze Mage – Unfavorable

We lack the sheer mid-game pressure of Handlock and especially if we only play 1 owl we are in a lot of trouble. Take a lot of risks and be very aggressive. Loatheb and Healbot are your best bets here.

Face Hunter / Midrange Hunter – Unfavorable to Fair

The faster our opponent’s deck is, the tougher the match-up is for us. They possess a lot of reach and early game pressure and without the right answers our deck is in a lot of trouble. Molten Giants and Healbots are your best bets into turning the game around.

Druid – Fair

Corruptors are very good here as well as our 4-drops. If the Druid doesn’t play first or doesn’t find an early Wild Growth we are in a very good shape. Take calculated risks, fight for board control and play around combo only if you are ahead. If they can’t answer a t4 Giant or Drake we will more often than not win.

You can find me streaming on http://twitch.tv/dethelor and I offer coaching for $30 an hour.  Please follow me on twitter @F2K_dethelor

Check out these decks that @Fade2Karma is also playing on the ladder.  Let us know what you think and how they are working for you.  Feel free to message us here or reach out to us directly on twitter!


JR Cook

JR has been writing for fan sites since 2000 and has been involved with Blizzard Exclusive fansites since 2003. JR was also a co-host for 6 years on the Hearthstone podcast Well Met! He helped co-found BlizzPro in 2013.


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