I. Introduction
II. The deck
III. Card choices
IV. Card options
V. Match-ups
Follow the author: Introduction
Like in every other card game the meta has reached the moment were the main decks are the midrange or control archetypes, the ones relying on board control via removal spells or good minions and big finishers. They perform solid in every match-up and are very difficult to beat if played without mistakes.
Yet there’s one main problem with these kinds of decks that irk the average player: they’re expensive. If you want to play a solid Druid, or any other control deck for that matter, you must prepare your wallet. At least five or six legendaries are required so that the deck can work, which are difficult to obtain by just grinding gold and dust. Of course, your collection will incrementally expand with each game won but if you decide to stick to the control or mid-range archetypes, climbing the ladder will be a slow process. The solution (again like in every other card game) is the aggro decks, which are, in general, cheaper than controls as they don’t require that many support legendaries.
While for some time after the patch the Hunters were the kings of aggro and one of the most played classes on the ladder, the meta adjusted itself and pushed them out of the spotlights again. While the solution Hunters was eventually found – i.e. keeping minimal number of minions on the board and finishing the Hunter with a big burst of damage or slowly exhausting their resources – the deck we are going to discuss below is still new to the meta and because of that has the upper hand. Meet the Warrior aggro, the build created and popularized by Twitch streamer reynad27.
The deckThe deck is pack-filled with weapons, aggressive minions with charge and ways to finish the opponent in the late game even when he’s behind a wall of taunts. The main idea of the build is to hit the enemy hero as often as possible but not in the mindless go-for-the-face-every-turn kind of way Hunters generally play. Rather it feels more like the Mage aggros before the 1/13 patch: a mix of direct attacks and board control with the option to deal big bursts of damage past turns 5-6 (Arcanite Reaper + Heroic Strike, for example).
Though the deck seems simple to play, you’ll often find yourself in position where you have to decide whether you clear the board or go for the face. Calculating how much value your minions can grant in the next few turns and make the right decision to protect them through a weapon or go for the face is key. It’s also important to put the opponent in a position where he has to do many things to survive – e.g. heal up, play taunts or clear the board – but might lack the mana or cards to do them. Even if you have the damage for the kill in your hand and you will be able to trigger it in a turn or two, be careful and keep some board presence in case of taunts (unless you’re holding something like double Mortal Strike, of course).
The deck itself is very cheap and will give you good results in the 25-5 ranks easily. After that, you might need to buff it up a bit but even without spending outrageous amounts of dust you should be able to keep a positive win rate of around 55-60%.
Weapons:
Fiery War Axe is a must in your deck and you'll want to see it in your opening hand every game. Being able to get the early board control is essential for the Warrior and if you get a Bloodsail Raider boost out of it that makes for a great value.
Arcanite Reaper is the 5-mana Pyroblast of the Warrior. Sometimes you might have to kill some big taunter or other annoying minion, but most of the time you are going to use it to kill the opponent. Combined with Upgrade and/or Heroic Strike you have the ability to finish the game surprisingly in one big swing.
Upgrade! is very versatile card: it allows you to have weapon on turn one if needed (against small minions and Paladins for example) but most of the time you are going to use it to upgrade one of your other weapons. This card alone adds 8 damage to Arcanite Reaper, which is no joke.
Minions:
Argent Squire and Leper Gnome are two of the best 1-drops in the game, especially if they’re played on T1. The Squire will kill or wound the early-game minions and it's generally hard to remove while the Leper Gnome is both a good source of damage (he’s guaranteed 2 damage to the hero unless Earth Shock’d) and a way to clear the 2-health bodies of the opponent.
Faerie Dragon is here because it's a good damage dealer in the early game. Its unique ability keeps it safe from most of the removal in the game and if you are able to guard it with weapons, the tempo you’ll create will pay off nicely. He remains an easy prey to Druids’ Claw and Keeper of the Grove as well as the weapon-wielding classes but the others will have to run a minion of their own in it or wait for an AoE spell.
Bloodsail Raider and Frothing Berserker are the minions with the potential to get a big spike of damage and therefore are priority targets for the opponent. If they swing for the face at least once they've paid up for their inclusion in the deck. If they stay alive longer (which is highly doubtful) they're going to carry you through the game.
While Harvest Golem isn't the strongest aggro minion, it’s really hard to deal with and many times it'll cost your opponent two cards to get rid of him and he is in the deck purely for its value. Arathi Weaponsmith is an essential card for the 2/2 weapon she gives, which is used to clean taunters and keep the board clean. She’s also a 3/3 body in addition to the weapon and that’ll often require a response from the opponent’s side.
Kor'kron Elite, Nightblade and Argent Commander are included for the surprise damage they can dish out. They’re also anti-taunt minions in a way: with 4 attack, Kor’kron Elite and Argent Commander can kill or wound them severely while Nightblade can deal damage past them and help you get the opponent within Mortal Strike range.
Spells:
Heroic Strike is good for cleaning big taunters or finishing the game. Even through the card is good and might surprisingly kill an early Shieldmasta or Druid of the Claw it's not a good idea to keep it in your opening hand.
This spell works best in the mid game when you have a weapon equipped and this is when you’ll want to draw it: buffing the Arcanite Reaper to 9 damage will often be a finishing swing while combining it with the other weapons will get you past most taunters.
Mortal Strike is a weaker Fireball of sorts but is important for bypassing taunters. Its text will also make you decide whether you armor up or receive some additional damage: playing on low life might be dangerous but sometimes the extra damage is game-winning.
Card options (for the rich and the poor)Spellbreaker: He is a good last-minute taunt remover which frees the path to the opponent’s faace. There are always going to be targets for him in the metagame and you might try him and see if the moment is right for him.
Scarlet Crusader: This minion is good against other aggros and as well as in the Warrior mirror if they are popular on your rank. Give him a try especially if you face a lot of Paladins and Hunter since they have hard times dealing with him.
Chillwind Yeti: If you face many Druids and mid-range decks you might try including a couple of Yetis. A 4/5 body is resilient to most removals and most 4-drop minions so it’s almost a guaranteed 2-for-1.
Acidic Swamp Ooze: Good against Warriors, Paladins and Hunters. Only include it if you encounter those often, otherwise use the slot for something else.
As your collection grows and you gather more dust you might want to try some more expensive cards in your deck. Gorehawl is one of those. This weapon has great built-in value and will either keep the board clean or be the last points of damage you need to kill the opponent. Leeroy Jenkins is another finisher which must be considered if you can afford him. He acts as a Fireball and most of the time will be used to kill the opponent but he’s good at cleaning taunters as well if no other answers are in your hand.
Match-upsThe Warrior has the upper hand against the most popular Druid deck (Strifecro's) unless they don’t Innervate an early Yeti or Cairne. The current builds don't run too many taunts (Druid of the Claw and the battlecry of Sunfury Protector/Defender of Argus are all) or heal right now so as long you keep board presence, don't overextend and deal proper damage early game you are favored to win approximately 60% of the time. Watch out for their crazy starts with Innervate and respect the fact that they also have big burst of damage through Force of Nature and Savage Roar - armor up when you have the opportunity to counter that. Also, be ready to take some damage while cleaning their taunts with weapons.
Warrior vs Hunter is a very good match-up for the former. The Warriors have the better minions, many of which are able to deal with one or more of theirs, as well as the ability to gain armor and neutralize Hunters’ hero power. The aggro Warriors are also known for killing with just a few minions at the time, which in turn negates an explosive Unleash the Hounds. As a whole, it takes really good draw from the Hunters in order to win.
Most of the Mages nowadays play a style similar to yours. They are going to try and deal early damage via minions and finish you with burn spells. You have the upper hand here via the ability to armor up and gain tempo with weapons. An important card for the match-up is Fiery War Axe which should kill the Mana Wyrm before it goes crazy on you. Don't forget to keep your armor high, be always mindful of how many damage they can deal in a single turn and play accordingly in order to avoid getting burned down.
Another relatively easy match-up. Control decks are slow and many times you are going to rush them really quickly. Most players aren't going to waste Equality for your low health minions so your early sources of damage might go unpunished, giving you the upper hand.
Against aggro Paladins the match-up becomes a race in which case you should keep the board clean since most of the time your minions will be able to kill at least two of theirs.
Most of the time this match-up is easy. Priest simply don't have enough removal early game and if you establish some board control and deal good amount of damage early game you'll almost certainly going to have the resources for the final push. Not to mention that cards like Nightblade and Kor’kron Elite are outside Shadow Word/Shadow Madness range while Faerie Dragon is unkillable until T4 (Shadow Madness) or T5 (Holy Nova).
This match-up depends on how well they are able to keep your board clean. Sometimes they’ll be able to do it through spells alone but more often than not their hero power will be used, meaning more damage to their face. You have big damage to finish them so don't be afraid to go for the face as often as possible and put them in the role of the defender.
This is one of the hardest match-ups due to Shamans’ hero power. The taunt totem and Feral Spirit are going to slow you down and make it difficult for you to attack Shaman’s face. Try to establish a board that requires answers and spend weapon charges on cleaning their minions. Be aware that some Shamans are playing Windfury combos so they might surprise you with the kill. Don't forget to armor up when you have opportunity.
Warlocks aren’t very popular in the current meta but it’s good to know how to play against them in case you encounter some. Against control Warlocks you have to keep board presence and be ready to finish them in one turn from around 15 health. The latter is important because you shouldn't allow them to cast free Molten Giants and turn them into taunters with their excess mana. This way will also prevent them from healing with Alexstraza or Jaraxxus.
Against aggro Warlocks just keep the board control with weapons, armor up and slowly build stronger board. They are going to help you kill them with Life Taps.
The control Warrior is one of the hardest match ups you are going to face. They have a lot of removal, good amount of heal and heavy late-game hitters. Your deck lacks removal for their legendaries and so dealing with them will be problematic. If you succeed to keep the tempo and some board presence you have a chance to win, but as a whole you are in disadvantage in this match up.
