Fel Reaver Druid
Now that the old ruler of Hearthstone, the Patron Warrior deck, has been knocked down a few pegs, the meta is in a state of upheaval. Secret Paladin has soared up the charts, and new decks are finally being tested.Those decks include a new version of Patron Warrior (without Warsong Commander of course) and this week’s deck of the week, Fel Reaver Druid. I got this version from crimzig on hearthpwn.com.
Fel Reaver Druid is classified as an agro deck and some players even call it “Face Druid,” because this deck seeks to kill the opponent quickly, much like Face Hunter. I personally think the deck is more complex than simply going face every turn though, so I went with the name describing it’s signature card, the Fel Reaver.
Fel Reaver
The Fel Reaver is a tricky card to use, so I want to spend a bit of time on it. This behemoth is an 8/8 for 5 mana. The only other way to get an 8/8 on board for less (without using Unstable Portal or similar shenanigans) is one of the “giant” type cards, each requiring very specific circumstances. Because this card can reliably be played for 5 mana every game, there has to be some drawback to summoning it, which there is. While the Fel Reaver is on your board and not silenced, every card your opponent plays burns 3 of your cards. If your opponent has a lot of low mana cards, they can run your deck dry pretty quickly.
There is an upside to the card burn effect though. While you don’t get to keep any of the cards burned, they do help to cycle your deck. This is useful because once you get your Fel Reaver on board, many of your 1 or 2 mana cost cards simply aren’t as useful. Fel Reaver can burn those cards and hopefully get you deeper into your deck for big cards like Swipe and Druid of the Claw. So, while the card burn looks scary, it can actually play out in your favor quite frequently.
Another lovely bonus to playing Fel Reaver in a druid deck is all the mana ramping abilities the class has access to. Even though this deck doesn’t run Wild Growth (it’s too much of a tempo loss), super card Darnassus Aspirant can ramp up mana quickly. Innervate can also lead to very early Fel Reaver turns, making it even harder for your opponent to deal with. Just be careful against certain classes like warrior or priest which have low cost removal spells that can handle even a turn 3 Fel Reaver with ease.
The Early Game
Because this is an aggressive deck, you always want to mulligan for 1 or 2 mana cost cards. If you have a Darnassus Aspirant in your starting hand, keeping a Piloted Shredder also becomes a good option. Druid of the Saber is also an extremely versatile card to keep in your opening hand. Since you have the option of Charge or +1/+1 and stealth, this card lets you respond well to your opponent’s early game. If they don’t have any minions to play, stealth mode gets you more damage and makes better trades. If they do play early minions, you can often charge face and make them trade away their minion instead.
As with most agro decks, be sure that you don’t over commit a large board of minions when your opponent will be reaching their AOE clear turns. It’s often beneficial to make favorable trades instead of just going face all the time as well. In this respect, the deck plays a bit more like a Zoolock than a Face Hunter. Board control is important unless you are allowed to simply run rampant for the first few turns. It’s very hard to come back from a game where you go face, ignoring the enemy board, then play your Fel Reaver and get wiped out by AOE clear and trades.
There’s Only 1 Force of Nature in This Deck!
Yes, Fel Reaver Druid does keep the tried and true Force of Nature + Savage Roar combo, but only one copy of Force of Nature. The reason is that Force of Nature simply isn’t used to close out games as often in this deck. Unlike mid-range druid decks, the majority of games will be won or lost before turn 9. The combo will still win games, but it’s often better to use a Savage Roar when you have a large board of small minions. This lets you make valuable trades and deal large amounts of damage to the enemy hero. Because opponents will often use removal spells on Fel Reavers, Dr. Boom has a higher chance of surviving a turn, and he and his boombots make excellent Savage Roar targets. So, don’t be stingy with your Savage Roars.
Tying It All Together
It’s important to play minions early and develop your board with this deck. After you’ve established your board, try and keep the advantage by making smart trades, but keep the face damage rolling. A turn 5 Fel Reaver will often have your opponent scrambling, especially if they don’t have any minions on their board to help deal with it. Be careful playing Fel Reaver later in the game though as this increases the chances your opponent will be able to remove it after burning several cards and you not even getting a single attack in with it. Keep the pressure on and look for lethal damage any time you have a Savage Roar in your hand. Also, don’t forget about unorthodox sources of damage like Living Roots or Leper Gnome, as these can often be just enough to kill your opponent.
Finally, there are some bad match ups for Fel Reaver Druid to watch out for. I already mentioned the priest and warrior, and both control versions of those classes are difficult for this deck. I didn’t have many problems with Dragon Priest while I was laddering however. Secret Paladin is another deck that is just frustrating to play against. If you get good draws, then the match up can end before Mysterious Challenger does any real damage, but if the paladin draws better than you, it can be difficult to come back. Freeze Mage has also made a bit of a comeback lately and will often freeze your Fel Reaver for several turns, burning cards while you get no value out of it.
I’m excited to have another version of Druid to play. Whether this deck turns out to be stronger than Mid-range Druid, only time will tell. Right now though, it’s a solid deck that will often have you playing on the edge of your seat, looking for just a few more damage for lethal and then finding it. As always, leave any questions or comments below, or ask me on Twitter, @AGRitterific.
