by Jeremy Waxman on Oct 22, 2015
For what feels like an eternity, Patron Warrior has been the consensus best deck in Hearthstone. The ability to flood the board with Grim Patrons, or create absolutely massive Frothing Berserkers, was a terror to deal with. This was all brought together by a ton of card draw, and Warsong Commander allowed your win conditions to all come together in a single turn.
Now, Warsong has been nerfed (or essentially removed from the game, if you prefer) and players who enjoy playing the Warrior class might be looking for a new deck to try out. If you’re loyal to Garrosh (or Magni) and need some ideas now that Warsong Commander is no more, have no fear! All of these deck lists have room for innovation, so feel free to experiment with them and make them your own. There are actually several different Warrior decks for you to try, and you might just discover something new that you love!
StanCifka's deck from his winning run at the StarSeries Season 1 finals
The granddaddy of all Warrior decks. Control Warrior seeks to…you guessed it, “control” the early to mid game, while pumping out huge threats and being nigh-unkillable in the late game. The deck packs absolutely tons of removal; Execute, Shield Slam, Slam, Cruel Taskmaster and weapons deal with single targets, while Brawl is a backup plan if the board gets out of control. Shield Block, Shieldmaiden and Justicar Trueheart all grant insane amounts of armor, meaning even if your life total gets low early on, your effective health will still be very high if you hold on.
Now that decks that pump out a bunch of small minions are common (looking at you, Paladin) Baron Geddon has tremendous value. Along with Sylvanas, Dr. Boom and Grommash Hellscream, you have a variety of high-impact minions that demand an answer from your opponent. The deck has long been dubbed “wallet warrior” due to needing a fair number of legendaries, and it’s true that this isn’t a deck for beginners. However, for those that have the means, this is a deck that will drag your opponent to the late game kicking and screaming, and putting them in a situation where it’s almost impossible for them to win if the cards fell the right way.
Since the pros haven't really tried it yet, my personal list that has proven extremely effective on ladder
This deck really came into its own after the release of The Grand Tournament. At its core, it’s a variation of Control Warrior, as it has a similar game plan. Really, the deck just uses different cards to achieve practically the same goal. Alexstrasza’s Champion and Blackwing Technician both provide early game minions that can either provide damage or minion removal, and the same single target removal threats are present from Control (sans Cruel Taskmaster.) The addition of Twilight Guardian provides an incredibly solid 4-drop, that can often stall aggro decks in their tracks.
Let’s talk about the other differences. Azure Drake is a very strong card in its own right, providing card draw, and a buff to the damage of Shield Slam. Blackwing Corruptor is another choice for single target removal, or an activator for Grommash in a pinch if the big guy somehow sat on the board for a turn without getting enraged. Alexstrasza gives you a fallback option if you weren’t able to punch through a lot of damage early, while Ysera can often end games on its own. The real MVP of the new cards, however, is Chillmaw. Against decks that look to flood the board, Chillmaw offers the board clear of Brawl without worrying about RNG. A 6/6 Taunt is already imposing, and the threat of wiping the board will often force your opponent into inefficient trades.
Is Dragon Warrior as good as Control Warrior? Objectively, Control is likely a bit stronger. However, the gap between the two isn’t as large as some would have you believe, and it just might become apparent as a tier 2 deck if the right people spend their time with it. Even if it doesn’t, it’s an extremely fun alternative to Control for those that prefer it.
The list that pro player Xixo has piloted to Legend rank
“Wait, I thought this article was about what to play now that Patron Warrior is dead??” – You, right now (probably)
Here’s the thing: Patron Warrior, as we knew it before and as the undisputed best deck in the game, is dead. However, there were a lot of positives the deck had that can still be employed. Flooding the board with Patrons can still be a pain for several classes to deal with, and the card draw offered by Battle Rage is nuts in the right situation. The deck just has to adapt now that it can no longer Charge its minions, and so transitions to a more mid-range deck rather than full combo.
Piloted Shredder, Loatheb, Dr. Boom and Grommash Hellscream now find their way into the deck, and given that you have access to potentially more card draw than any other Warrior deck, you can quickly find your late game threats without completely punting on the early game. This version also keeps Frothing Berserker, because while it can’t charge anymore, a minion with 10+ attack still demands an answer on the very next turn, or else it will take over the game. Is this deck as strong as the previous Patron Warrior? Probably not, but time will tell if it’s good enough to impact the competitive scene.
Brian Kibler was having some success with this probably-just-for-fun deck recently on his stream
Why not save the most fun for last? This is likely the least competitive of the four decks we’re going over here, but it will certainly have the biggest surprise factor for your opponents. This deck takes advantage of cards that used to be considered powerful, such as Sen’Jin Shieldmasta and Sunwalker. If that isn’t enough for you to play it, consider that walling yourself behind Taunt after Taunt will make your aggro opponents want to tear their hair out in frustration. Are you on board yet?
Of course, the deck focuses around making huge Taunts with Bolster, while also packing late game threats such as Dr. Boom, Grommash, Kel’Thuzad, and Varian Wrynn. This deck lacks some consistency, but can be surprisingly effective if you’re able to curve out effectively. Don’t forget about Sparring Partner allowing any minion in your deck to benefit from Bolster as well. If you want to try something completely different, this will be the deck for you.
So you see, Warrior friends, there are still plenty of options available even though we’re not all able to PILE ON in a single turn. Let me know what your new Warrior strategy is in the comments, and maybe I’ll see you on the ladder!