Ramp Druid
Right now, the Hearthstone meta game is pretty stable. Speaking of stable, this week we’re looking at one of the most stable decks in Hearthstone, the Ramp Druid. This version is by Phonetap, which he used to win the ESL Legendary Series Season 2.
When the meta game stabilizes, the strong decks rise to the top and the weaker decks start to disappear. Right now, the really strong decks are Patron Warrior, almost any kind of warlock deck, and hunter, which has a few options as well. Since we’ve already looked at these types of decks, we’re going to look at a deck that, while tech choices may change, has had the same basic mechanics since Hearthstone got out of beta development.
The Basics
Ramp Druid gets it’s name because the deck uses mana acceleration cards to build up a lead over your opponent before they can get their big threats out. Wild Growth is key to this strategy, and you always want to try getting this in your starting hand. What this card does is let you skip a turn in exchange for a mana lead throughout the game.
For example, say you have Wild Growth in your starting hand and use it on turn two. On turn three, you use a threatening Piloted Shredder with your 4 mana, and your opponent can only answer with a 3-mana minion. Or you play Dr. Boom with 7 mana and your opponent only has 6 mana to answer him with. That’s the idea behind this deck.
Value Cards
This deck has several cards that let you get serious value. Innervate grants you 2 mana for the turn it’s used, letting you ramp up a bit and get a big minion out to challenge your opponent’s, hopefully, weaker minions. Keeper of the Grove is another card with value potential. It let’s you either silence your enemies threats, or deal 2 damage anywhere on the board, leaving a 2/4 minion up as well.
Phonetap’s version of this deck was heavily teched against weapon classes. I kept the Acidic Swamp Ooze (because I don’t have Harrison Jones), but instead of adding a second weapon removal, I added a Kezan Mystic. This card basically destroys an enemy secret for free, then gives it to you! It’s a powerful card against hunters and mages, both of which you will see plenty of on the ladder. Using these cards can generate a swing in the game, usually letting you catch up, so they are very valuable.
Finishing the Game
Finishing games with this deck usually happens two ways. First is the aforementioned ramp. You get extra mana early on and use it to play big minions that get you value and tempo. Then, you just beat your opponent into submission.
The second way is with the Savage Roar + Force of Nature combo. If your side of the board is empty and the opponent has no taunts up, for 9 mana you can deal 14 damage straight out of your hand. That’s almost half an opponent’s HP with one combo. If you get a minion or two to stick on the board, the burst damage can be huge!
This deck runs two copies of each combo piece. This let’s you be more flexible if you need to use a combo piece early to regain board control. It also gives you more chances of drawing your combo, so you’ve got a better chance at winning games.
Ramp Druid may not be as flashy as some of the more popular decks, but it’s not designed to be. It’s just a good, solid deck that you can always fall back on. So, give it a try and let me know what you think @AGRitterific. You can also PM me at ritterific@agentsofgame.com to challenge me to a friendly duel and try the deck out on me yourself.
