Looking for something new to try to climb the ladder with? Give the Warrior no one sees coming a try!

It's time for some Face Warrior!

Face Warrior is just what it sounds like; it's a Warrior deck that looks to rush the opponent for direct damage, taking them down before their deck has a chance to get set up. Think Face Hunter, but much more unpredictable.

 

Pros Cons
 + Extremely fast gameplay  - While the deck generally fares well against Face Hunter, it's overall a bit less consistent.
 + Very unpredictable. When your opponent sees Warrior, they'll assume Patron or Control. This means they'll often mulligan incorrectly, giving you an immediate advantage  - Hero power is defensive, not offensive like the Hunter
 + Surprisingly fun to play  - Almost a guaranteed loss against Tempo Mage
 + Weapons give a consistent source of damage that are difficult to destroy, and help with board control when needed  - Playing Arcane Golem on an early turn is incredibly risky

 

Is this actually better than Face Hunter?

No! Well, not really. Overall, Hunter has more reliable options as an early-game aggro deck, and will do a more consistent job. However, that's not why we want to play Face Warrior. When your opponent sees Warrior, they'll be expecting Patron or Control (and rightly so.) This will cause them to mulligan differently than if they knew we were playing an extreme aggro deck, and that can give us an advantage. While Hunter can be susceptible to board clear if they over-extend, we'll be making use of weapons, which can be much more difficult to get rid of. When you consider that Fiery War Axe is essentially 6 damage for 2 mana, or Death's Bite is 8 damage for 4 mana (before its Deathrattle effect), you realize that when used optimally, we get an absurdly efficient damage source from each weapon we play. The flexibility to just either hit the face, or use the weapon to clear out a troublesome monster, is a nice added bonus.

 

Alright, so what does the deck actually look like?

Credit goes to MrYagut for the deck and inspiring me to test out this playstyle. This deck is only slightly changed from his original list:

 

Possible changes include:

- 1 Leeroy Jenkins (if you don't have it)   +1 Arcanite Reaper

-1 (anything you don't love)  +1 Spellbreaker    This isn't a great change, and probably shouldn't be done. However, if you find yourself constantly walled off by Taunts, an extra Silence can certainly come in handy. This is more "tech" than "generally optimal."

 

How do I play the deck correctly?

Hit your opponent's face! Seriously though, this will play very similarly to Face Hunter. You just want to overwhelm your opponent with all of your low-cost minions, doing as much damage as possible as quickly as possible. Against most decks, if you get to the mid-late game without having lethal damage ready, chances are you've lost. The biggest difference between Warrior and Hunter here, are your weapons. We're running three different weapons, and while you'll often use them to attack your opponent directly, it'll sometimes be correct to save 1 durability to take out a threatening minion (usually something big with Taunt.) Rush down their face, be careful about when you're playing Arcane Golem, and finish the game before your opponent's deck ever really had a chance to get going.

 

I'm starting a match. How do I mulligan?

Fiery War Axe is the dream card in the opening, followed closely by Leper Gnome. Essentially, you just want to make sure you can play on curve each turn (which means you have a card with appropriate mana cost each turn. The 1-cost Leper Gnome on turn one, 2-cost Fiery War Axe on turn 2, Wolfrider on turn 3, etc.) When doing this, keep in mind that certain cards like Bloodsail Raider and Dread Corsair are much more useful with a weapon than without, so don't keep Bloodsail just because it's a 2 drop if you don't have any weapons to use with it. Other than that, it will depend on your opponent, as with any other deck. For a more detailed analysis, check out this thread.

 

Can I actually climb with this deck?

Absolutely! Don't be put off by the fact that Hunter is technically the better deck to go with for the extreme early game aggro playstyle. The Warrior still has plenty of tools to make it work, and just making sure your opponents don't know what to expect when deciding on their opening hand can often give you wins you might have otherwise not gotten. On top of that, it’s a ton of fun to play, and doesn’t come with the same deep-seated shame that playing Face Hunter does!  I've only just started playing with the deck, and while I'm only rank 17 right now, I've seen much more success than failure with it in limited play testing. If you want to know what it looks like in action, check out the video below.

 


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Last Updated: Mar 13, 2016

About The Author

A longtime fan of competitive gaming, Jeremy got his first chance to work in the field as a writer for eSportsMax. Now eSports Editor for TenTonHammer, he looks to keep readers aware of all of the biggest events and happenings in the eSports world, while also welcoming new fans who aren't yet sure where to go to get the most relevant information. Jeremy always looks to provide content for new fans and veterans alike, believing that helping as many people as possible enjoy all the scene has to offer is key to its growth.

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