Hearthstone Nebula ShamanIntroduction
Hearthstone Nebula Shaman is a powerful Shaman archetype in Hearthstone built around the card Nebula. The main objective of the deck is to summon this high-cost minion onto the board much earlier than its standard 9-mana cost would typically allow. By cheating out Nebula, the deck aims to flood the board with large 8-cost minions, often featuring abilities like Taunt and Elusive, creating an overwhelming presence that many opponents struggle to deal with.
There are different versions of this deck, with some focusing heavily on the powerful Battlecry synergies enabled by Murmur, sometimes referred to as Murmur Shaman or Battlecry Shaman, while others might explore cost reduction through Draenei or Imbue mechanics. This deck has seen success in high ranks, including Legend, and its ability to generate immense value and put significant pressure on the opponent early in the game has led some to believe it is exceptionally strong and potentially warrants balance adjustments in the future.
Hearthstone Nebula ShamanCore Strategy and Key Synergies
The heart of Hearthstone Nebula Shaman lies in leveraging specific card interactions to deploy Nebula ahead of schedule and maximize its impact.
Nebula itself is the namesake and central piece. Its effect, crucial to the deck’s game plan, involves summoning 8-cost minions to the board and can grant them keywords like Taunt and Elusive. It’s also noted that Nebula can sometimes allow for the discovery of two 8-cost minions. The deck’s power stems from consistently activating this effect early in the game.
A particularly potent variant of Hearthstone Nebula Shaman utilizes Murmur. Murmur has an effect that reduces the cost of all Battlecry minions to just 1 Mana. This is described as an “absolutely crazy” enabler, allowing for turns where a vast number of cards can be played. Without Murmur, this specific variant struggles significantly.
Location cards play a key role alongside Murmur. Parrot Sanctuary, for instance, can be pre-played and then used after Murmur discounts Battlecry minions. Since they now cost only 1 mana, they become 0 mana with the location’s discount, allowing multiple zero-mana Battlecry minions to be played, which then refreshes the location for further uses. Fairy Tale Forest aids in drawing Battlecry minions more quickly, and can also draw a zero-mana Battlecry minion if Murmur and the location are active.
Cost reduction methods are essential for getting Nebula onto the board cheaply. Aside from the Murmur/Location synergy, cards like Lunar Trailblazer and Cosmonaut are mentioned as ways to reduce Nebula’s cost directly. Hagatha the Fabled is another critical component, especially in Murmur variants. She draws spells costing 5 or more (like Nebula) and transforms them into Battlecry minions (Slimes) that cast the drawn spell. With Murmur on board, this creates a 1-mana (or potentially 0-mana with a location) Battlecry minion that casts Nebula’s effect, allowing for a very cheap Nebula play. Other variants may use Draenei synergy, involving cards such as Lunar Trailblazer, Planetary Navigator, Stranded Spaceman, and Troubled Mechanic, or even Imbue mechanics, to achieve early Nebula plays.
Mana generation and refresh are also crucial for enabling explosive combo turns. Ysera, Emerald Aspect, provides three Mana Crystals when played, synergizing well with Murmur and locations to extend a combo turn and allow for more Battlecry minions. Shudderblock can repeat Battlecries, potentially doubling the mana gained from Ysera or Bob the Bartender. Bob the Bartender himself discovers a 3-cost minion and refreshes three Mana. After Murmur, Bob can be played for 1 or 0 mana, enabling the play of additional Battlecry minions even without a location.
Other notable cards support the main strategy or provide necessary tools. Triangulate is a spell that discovers another spell from the deck, useful for finding Hex, Lightning Storm, or even extra copies of Nebula when needed. Hex is highlighted as particularly effective removal against certain problematic minions, specifically “bullshit armor demon Hunters” and their Starship pieces. Lightning Storm and Baking Soda Volcano provide area-of-effect damage but come with the drawback of Overload.
Nightmare Lord Xavius is included in some lists as another way to discover Murmur. Marin the Manager can synergize with Shudderblock. The Curator can draw specific minions like Ysera and Malorne the Waywatcher. Turbulus, in the Murmur variant, is included primarily for its ability to provide access to Hunter locations through another card (PiP), and its own effect is generally not the main focus. Lock On offers single-target removal against large threats.
The minions summoned by Nebula are typically 8-cost. Good potential outcomes include powerful threats like Kologarn and Ragnaros. However, there is a significant downside risk, notably summoning Octosari, whose Deathrattle draws eight cards, potentially milling a large portion of the deck, especially if summoned multiple times.
Hearthstone Nebula ShamanExecuting the Game Plan
The flow of a game with Hearthstone Nebula Shaman generally follows distinct phases.
In the early turns, the primary focus is on setting up for the critical mid-game turns. This involves actively searching for key cards like Murmur and the deck’s Locations. Playing Locations onto the board early is important to have them ready for the turn when Murmur is played. Cards that help draw Battlecry minions, such as Fairy Tale Forest, are also crucial. The goal is to stay alive and not fall too far behind on the board while assembling the pieces for the combo.
The mulligan phase is vital. Key cards to look for include Murmur, Locations (like Parrot Sanctuary and Fairy Tale Forest), cards that help find Murmur such as Bird Watching and Nightmare Lord Xavius, and Hagatha. Depending on the opponent, keeping removal spells like Hex might be considered, particularly against decks like Demon Hunter. Using the Coin can help play Locations or key setup cards earlier.
The mid-game, often around turns 5 or 6, is when the deck aims to unleash its full potential. This is when the “crazy” and “amazing obscene things” happen. The core sequence involves playing Murmur to discount Battlecry minions to 1 or 0 mana. With locations prepared, this allows for playing multiple powerful Battlecry effects. This includes playing the Hagatha Slime version of Nebula (which now costs 1 or 0 mana) to get the Nebula Battlecry.
Other discounted Battlecry minions like Ysera for mana, Bob for mana and additional minions, and Curator to draw key threats like Ysera or Malorne are also utilized. Shudderblock can be played to repeat the powerful Battlecries of these minions, further accelerating the deck’s game plan. The goal is to quickly summon multiple high-impact 8-cost minions via Nebula, ideally with Taunt and Elusive to immediately challenge the opponent’s board and present difficult threats.
The late game involves continuing to generate value and board pressure using the deck’s powerful Battlecry synergies and the minions summoned by Nebula. Managing potential deck exhaustion, particularly in games where Octosari is summoned multiple times, becomes a consideration. The deck aims to close out the game through overwhelming board presence and continuous threats.
Hearthstone Nebula ShamanMatchups
Based on observations, Hearthstone Nebula Shaman is generally described as not having favorable matchups against very fast, aggressive decks. However, it appears to be quite strong against slower, control-oriented strategies. The deck is specifically mentioned as being capable of “farming Armor Demon Hunter” matchups, with Hex being a crucial tool in these games to remove their powerful Starship pieces. Some matchups may feel challenging and require a deep understanding of the deck’s intricate synergies to navigate successfully.
Hearthstone Nebula ShamanStrengths and Weaknesses
Hearthstone Nebula Shaman possesses several key strengths. It has a very high potential for generating immense value and creating powerful, high-impact turns, sometimes as early as turn 5 or 6. The 8/8 minions summoned by Nebula, especially those with Elusive, can be particularly difficult for many current meta decks to answer. The deck offers a degree of flexibility, capable of playing for either a relatively faster win or a longer, value-oriented game. As noted, it is strong against certain slower archetypes.
However, the deck also has significant weaknesses. A major one is inconsistency; the deck relies heavily on drawing key cards like Murmur to enable its most powerful plays, and if these pieces are not drawn, the deck’s performance can suffer significantly. Mastering the deck’s complex Battlecry synergies can take time and requires careful planning of sequencing. Crafting the deck is often quite expensive, frequently requiring many Legendary cards.
It is vulnerable to aggressive decks that can apply early pressure and finish the game before the Shaman can assemble its combo. The potential to mill the deck by repeatedly summoning Octosari is another risk. Overload from spells like Lightning Storm and Baking Soda Volcano can disrupt future turns and limit follow-up plays. Overall, it can be a challenging deck to pick up and play optimally.
Hearthstone Nebula ShamanDecklists and Crafting Cost
Example decklists for Hearthstone Nebula Shaman are available for both Standard and Wild formats. Standard lists are associated with the Year of the Pegasus and the Into the Emerald Dream expansion. Players looking to craft this deck should be aware that it can be quite expensive in terms of Arcane Dust. Examples of dust costs provided in the sources include 15,960 Dust and 18,360 Dust, reflecting the high number of necessary Legendary cards (potentially as many as 10 in some variants).
Hearthstone Nebula ShamanOverall Impression
Playing Hearthstone Nebula Shaman is described as a “pretty fun” experience, particularly when the deck’s synergies come together and enable its powerful turns. It offers a unique and impactful playstyle compared to other decks. Given its power level and ability to perform “absolutely crazy things,” there is speculation that the deck might be considered for future balance adjustments or nerfs.
