Deckbuilding and crafting for the Shaman: Building the mid-range control

Writer: Space Monkey Follow @spc_monkey
 

The Shaman class’ unique mechanic is Overload, an embodiment of the “great power comes at great cost” saying. Overload allows the Shaman to cast some powerful spells for a minimal cost, the drawback being that you’ll have your starting mana reduced for the next turn. This mechanic is perfect to do burst damage (via Lava Burst) or to clean the opposing side of the board (Lightning Storm) for a cheaper cost than other classes, at least on the turn the spells are cast.

Overload makes gameplay with the Shaman a little bit different from the other classes. Every time you cast an overload spell you have to weigh in the pros and cons and calculate if you’ll have enough mana next turn to play the cards you need. Plan accordingly!

The Shaman's hero power - Totemic Call - allows you to summon one of the following four totems at random.

- Healing Totem – This totem is going to heal your minions for 1 at the end of your turn, and if kept alive, it is going to provide great value over the course of the game.

- Searing Totem – This is a basic 1/1 minion. It’s maybe the weakest of the four totems, but it gives you some board presence nevertheless.

- Stoneclaw Totem – This totem is going to suck up some damage for you, but since it has 0 attack, it is rarely going to hurt the opposing minions when they hit it unless you give him power.

- Wrath of Air Totem – This is likely the most useful totem of them all, as it'll give you one extra spell damage for minimal cost. Considering all the damage spells you’ll use in your deck, many times this will be the totem you wish for when you use Totemic Call.

Regardless of if you are playing a budget deck or not, your goal as a Shaman is to establish solid board control, remove your opponents’ minions, and keep their side of the field empty. You'll achieve this by playing cheap removal (Rockbiter Weapon, Lightning Bolt, Forked Lightning), weapons (Stormforged Axe), and aiming for good trades with your minions.

Your totems add a lot of value, especially the Healing Totem, which will keep your minions in good health, and the Wrath of Air Totem, which will aid you in killing big threats on the board.

The deck that we suggest relies on the said removal in the early game and on Fire Elemental and Bloodlust to finish games. It's relatively cheap (420 dust), as the only rare we use is the Feral Spirit. We suggest adding a second copy of Feral Spirit as soon as you can, as right now they are one of the cards which will keep you alive against the meta-defining agro decks. 

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I. Commons

• Earthshock

Silence plus one damage for the mere cost of one mana is good value. The silence is an important part of any deck, and this spell offers one of the best silence effects in the game. The fact that the silence comes first is the great part of Earth Shock, allowing it to bypass Divine Shield or kill that pesky Twilight Drake.

• Forked Lightning

Easy early game removal for multiple minions. Aside from being cheaper in mana cost, it's also more inexpensive in terms of dust than Lightning Storm, which makes it good for your budget Shaman decks. You should bear in mind that, although it comes at one mana initially, its Overload cost is two, which will eat a sizeable chunk of your mana for the next turn.

• Lightning bolt

Your main damage spell. With its very good damage to mana cost ratio, it's great for killing opposing minions or finishing your opponent. You’ll want two Lightning Bolts in your deck for sure.

• Stormforged Axe

Not as good as the Warrior's Fiery War Axe, but very close to it. It'll do six damage, but in three swings, which means that you are going to take some damage yourself when you use it. Even then, it deserves a spot in your deck as repetitive removal is always good. When you have dust to craft Doomhammer, you are going to exchange one of the Stormforged Axes with it, but until then, it's a good idea to play two of this weapons.

II. Rares
 

• Feral Spirit

As you know, a game of Hearthstone is won by any small card and board advantage you can get, so cards with built-in two for one, like Feral Spirit, are always good. Two taunting minions for a mana cost of three is a great deal that only the Shaman receives. The two wolves are great in early-mid game, but lose some of their value in the late game. In most cases, they will require two cards or attacks from two of your opponent's minions before they can be disposed of, thus giving you the advantage. 

• Lava Burst

As the name hints, this spell allows you to deal a burst damage for a low mana cost. You could use it to kill enemy minions or to finish your opponent. It's slightly weaker than the Mage's Fireball - you receive five damage for five mana, even through you pay the mana in two turns – and it's not an obligatory card for your Shaman deck. You could do quite well without it.

• Lightning Storm

Lighting Storm is the only mass removal the Shaman has in his arsenal. The cheap mana cost makes this card great. It allows you to stop fast aggro deck players who like to dump their hand on the board early in the game.

There is a random element in the card, as you are never sure of the exact damage it's going to do, but most of the time it's acceptable to take the risk; you can easily rely on Lightning Storm to clean the opponents board. You don't want to play in higher levels of the ladder without this spell.

• Mana Tide Totem

This is a great totem for the mid-to-late game, as it will refill your hand. You should wait and play it when you have board control, and once you are in that position, this totem will make sure that you stay ahead in game with the extra cards in your hand. It has a reasonable toughness, and thus, it's not very easy to kill it. Board sweepers like Consecration, Holy Nova, Starfall, and smaller Lightning Storm won't be able to finish it, and a Healing Totem after that is going to make your opponent feel miserable.

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III. Epics 

• Doomhammer

One of the best weapons in the game, this is the only way to give your hero Windfury. This hammer is a great tool to keep the opponent board clear from small creatures. Keep in mind that you are going to receive some damage while using it, but given that you should be able to gain and retain board control, most of the time taking this extra damage is worth it. You’ll need one Doomhammer in your mid-late game control shaman deck.

• Earth Elemental

The finisher of choice for some Shaman decks, the Earth Elemental has a big body that is very hard to kill. It's a good idea to bait some of the removal with other creatures before playing him as, if you haven't played anything with power above five before him, be sure that the Priests will have a Shadow Word: Death waiting.

Earth Elemental’s presence on the field is as threatening as it is valuable. If your opponent decides to drill through him, he’ll take a lot of creatures in the process. If he survives the turn, give him Windfury for a very fast way to close the game.

This is not the typical control deck where you play hardly any minions until you are ready to finish the game and play your fatty. In the Shaman version of control, you are going to control the board via cheap removal (Rockbiter Weapon, Lightning Bolt, Lightning Storm), weapons (Stormforged Axe, Doomhammer), and value minions (Feral Spirit). Other than that, you play the basic shaman cards – Flametongue Totem – to change the math when your opponent doesn't expect it, and to make your hero power totems even more useful.

Bloodlust is optional, as it depends on what way do you like to finish the game. Use the Bloodlust if you think you could keep board presence enough to kill your opponent in one big bloodthirsty swing. If this is not you, include Earth Elemental as a fat finisher. You could play him early, and if your opponents lack an answer, the game will be over soon.

The Argent Commanders and Fire Elementals are mandatory. They are your main mid-late game value engine, as both are sure to trade two for one. The Fire Elemental is especially good to finish your opponent's Argent Commander after it has lost its divine shield. Silence is still important in the meta, and you have one of the best silence spells out there – Earth Shock. The support of the Mana Tide Totem is very important mid-late game when you have board control, and you need to refill your hand. Both are mandatory cards as well.

As a whole, the deck behaves very well in three star master and has good match-ups against most of the decks out there. It leaves a sense of control all throughout the game, unlike other control decks that might struggle the first couple of turns. Right now, the Shamans are underplayed as a whole in the top levels of the ladder, but I encourage you to try this deck and change that.