Deck of the Week: Murloc Paladin

Murloc Paladin

Deck of the Week has been suspended a bit recently, mostly because of the holidays.  However, I haven’t just been sitting around playing against the Hearthstone A.I.  I have decided to add a video component to the column, giving viewers a chance to see the deck in action while listening to my not-so-soothing voice.  I hope you like this new feature, as I will be trying to add more video elements to all my future pieces.

I would like to point out that I am completely self-taught making these videos.  I’ve never paid for any instruction and learned how to do this through trial and error, some internet searches, and free advice from people, largely members of the Agents of Game community.  While I probably won’t be directing the ninth Star Wars movie based on this video, if I can learn how to do this, so can anyone else.  If you are interested in recording videos or producing other content for your favorite games, contact us on Twitter or email me ritterific@agentsofgame.com and we’ll be glad to help!

Shortly on the heels of The Grand Tournament expansion, Blizzard released its third Adventure for Hearthstone, The League of Explorers.  Whereas TGT barely made a ripple in Hearthstone’s meta game, LoE introduced several cards that have changed up the competitive environment.  Reno Jackson has spawned an entire new genre of decks, Tomb Pillager almost made Miracle Rogue viable again, and Anyfin Can Happen has led to the first serious murloc deck since the murloc based Warlock decks from when Hearthstone was originally released.

Today, we’re going to be looking at that deck, the Murloc Paladin.  While this deck is not quite a top tier choice, it does feature fun mechanics, some surprise wins, and it gives you a Paladin deck to play that doesn’t have Mysterious Challenger in it.  I got this particular version from VLPS, a professional Hearthstone player.

The Basics

Murloc Paladin is a combo deck at its core.  There are several card draw mechanics, lots of heals and taunts to stall the game, and board clears for when things get hairy.  The interesting thing about this deck’s combo is that instead of holding cards in your hand and discounting them, you have to play your combo pieces and let them die.  This makes the deck a bit more proactive, since it encourages you to fight for the board while you prepare your finishing combo.

All of the staple Paladin cards are included in the deck as well.  You still want to mulligan for Shielded Minibot and Muster for Battle.  The Equality + Consecration combo is still your best board clear.  Keeper of Uldaman, another LoE card, even makes an appearance as a way of dealing with big threats or making a favorable trade.

Like all combo decks, you want to manage the board during the early game with favorable trades.  Using weapons to keep board control is also important.  There is a lot of healing in this deck, so don’t be afraid to use your health as a resource.  If you’re facing an aggressive deck, try to get as much value as you can from your board clears.  One of the ways this deck loses is by clearing the board, then not having a response if your opponent can fill it up again quickly.

The Murlocs

Anyfin Can Happen is your combo card.  It costs a full 10 mana and revives up to 7 random murlocs that died during the game so far.  This means that even if you have murlocs in play, unless they died previously, you won’t be getting any new copies of them.  This also means that you have to be very selective about which murlocs you play, to try and reduce the random element of the effect.  This is why the deck only runs five murlocs, two short of the card’s cap.

Usually, when you play Anyfin Can Happen, you want your opponent to die that turn, or the following turn at the latest.  The only way you can attack with your murlocs on the same turn they are summoned is if they have charge, which gives us 2 Bluegill Warriors and Old Murk-Eye.  Unfortunately, 8 damage for 10 mana isn’t very good, so we need to buff that using Murloc Warleaders.  If everything goes perfectly, Anyfin Can Happen can deal up to 22 damage.

Healing and Card Draw

Because you can’t summon any murlocs with Anyfin Can Happen until they have died, you need to play them first.  This means that the game has to last long enough for you draw and play several of them so you can burst your opponent down.  Fortunately, Paladins have access to Lay on Hands, a spell that heals and draws cards at the same time.  Since this combo deck has so many board clears and encourages trading with your own minions, Solemn Vigil is another excellent source of card draw, often letting you draw two cards for free.

Ideally, you will reach the midgame with board control, allowing you to control the flow of the game while you wait to draw your combo pieces.  Heal up any damage that you took while using your weapons and use Sludge Belchers to slow the game down.  A perfectly executed Anyfin Can Happen will not be enough to one-turn-kill an opponent though, so get in as much face damage as you can.  It’s also important to keep track of what murlocs have been played through out the game.  Around turn 8 or 9, start counting up potential damage from Anyfin even if you haven’t drawn the card yet.  This way, you can set yourself up to kill your opponent once you do draw it.

Murloc Paladin is a welcome alternative to Secret Paladin, although it’s not quite as consistent.  It’s still a fun deck to play, with lots of from-behind-wins that reward thinking several steps ahead.  Let me know what you think on Twitter @AGRitterific.

Key Cards