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Think Block Constructed for Worldbreaker is stale? Think again. There are a number of archetypes available, with and without [Etched Dragonbone Girdle], that define the format. If you're looking for a starting place to kick off your State Championship and DMF Philly testing, then you're in luck. I've been busy brewing.
Many ideas are still unrefined, although every list I post has gone through at least a couple of games. They're not just theorycrafts, but ideas I think that, while not quite at their optimal list, are still valuable starting points for exploring what may have potential in Block Constructed.
We'll start with something that's a little aggressive, and may be one of the fastest decks of the format.
Hero: [Amaxi the Cruel]
Allies: 40
4 [Onnekra Bloodfang]
4 [Waz'luk]
4 [Rosalyne von Erantor]
4 [Gerwixicks]
4 [Abysswalker Rakax]
4 [Trade Prince Gallywix]
4 [Drax Felfuse]
4 [Gollom Skybang]
4 [Obsidian Drudge]
4 [Cairne, Earthmother's Chosen]
Abilities: 8
4 [Fel Flame]
4 [Searing Pain]
Locations: 4
4 [Twilight Citadel]
Quests: 8
4 [Warchief's Revenge]
4 [A Fiery Reunion]
Forty allies, and some subtle synergies that push aggro decks like these over the top. The scariest ally in this deck is definitely Gerwixixix....er, Gerwixa, Wixacks, [Gerwixicks]...eh, whatever. Assault 1 for each fire ally that deals damage is just absurd, and gives aggro decks like this an edge in the ally on ally matchups. [Abysswalker Rakax] helps with this too, controlling some one-drops in the format as well as Cairne and Magni tokens.
“But what about Greymane?” some may ask. What about Greymane? Play another fire ally or two, and [Searing Pain] the opposing hero's face off. Do they want to attack with Genn? Okay. Send your fire allies at the opposing hero to burn its face off. [Searing Pain] is just plain obnoxious in this deck, just FYI.
Speaking of subtle synergies, what's better than activating [Twilight Citadel] once a turn? Activating it more than once per turn. [Trade Prince Gallywix] can lead to some very cute plays.
The sketchiest card in this deck is [Obsidian Drudge]. It probably shouldn't be here, even if it could help out against Girdle. It's as big as one of my one-drops...a good replacement to consider would be [Tattered Dreadmist Mantle]. It is not something I played with, but in some random MWS games it has destroyed me a couple of times.
A general note: if you cannot answer a [Gerwixicks] and the opponent gets another turn, you will probably lose. You absolutely must have an efficient answer to this ally or your deck is not good enough to win State Champs, in my opinion.
Want another clothie take on this deck? Take a look below:
Hero: [Suncaller Haruh]
Allies: 44
4 [Onnekra Bloodfang]
4 [Waz'luk]
4 [Rosalyne von Erantor]
4 [Gerwixicks]
4 [Abysswalker Rakax]
4 [Trade Prince Gallywix]
4 [Sava'gin the Reckless]
4 [Gavin Haverston]
4 [Warchief Garrosh Hellscream]
4 [Cairne, Earthmother's Chosen]
Abilities: 12
4 [Power Word: Barrier]
4 [Shadow Word: Death]
4 [Psychic Wail]
Equipment: 4
4 [Tattered Dreadmist Mantle]
Quests: 4
4 [A Fiery Reunion]
Very rough, and only a few games have been played with this version. The Psychic Wails probably look weird, but it occasionally helps push through damage with its Stash but is more often played to return opposing Greymanes or to bounce your own Ferocity allies (especially when Garrosh is out).
What's the polar opposite of this aggression? Well, it isn't Shaman. But Shaman is still really good against aggro decks like these.
Hero: [Deragor the Earthsworn]
Allies: 27
4 [Stevrona Forgemender]
4 [Magni, the Mountain King]
4 [Savis Cindur]
4 [Haratha Hammerflame]
4 [Kelsa Wildfire]
3 [Obsidian Drudge]
4 [Varandas Silverleaf]
Abilities: 13
4 [Blazing Elemental Totem]
4 [Riptide]
3 [Twisted Fire Nova]
2 [Spiritual Return]
Equipment: 6
4 [Abomination Knuckles]
2 [Corrupted Egg Shell]
Locations: 4
4 [Twilight Citadel]
Quests: 10
4 [Challenge to the Black Flight]
3 [A Fiery Reunion]
3 [Blackout]
[Riptide] against some of the aggressive decks of this format is like a club to the face. Heal 5, then use my hero to pick off your little allies, your twilight dragonkin tokens, your egg tokens, and more. This card is real. And it's even more powerful with [Abomination Knuckles], allowing your hero to take out larger allies when the two are combined. The knuckles are also important for dealing with problematic armors like, oh you know, [Etched Dragonbone Girdle].
[Twisted Fire Nova] is one of the biggest reach abilities printed for Shamans, and does a great job of immediately ending games. Corey talked about this at length in his Tuesday article this week, where he showed off the Horde side of aggro Shaman. In this deck, [Blazing Elemental Totem] still feels like a must kill, but it preys more on the opponent's fear of it being active more than being good on its own. Sure, it gives Stevrona and Haratha Ferocity, but it's not the be-all-end-all in this deck. It's just very good.
The hero flip is also obnoxious against aggro. Once you and an opponent have traded into oblivion, and are in a top-deck war, they are trying to draw in a way to close things while your flip guarantees that their time to end the game begins to plummet.
I do, however, have to clarify one important point about this deck. It struggles against slower decks, as some of its cards go from really good to really awkward. If the format evolves past the rush decks that are capable of taking stuff down, then this deck's place in the format also goes down.
Moving on to other versions of Shaman...
Hero: [Merissa Firebrew]
Allies: 16
4 [Bronze Drake]
3 [Obsidian Drudge]
3 [Sinestra]
2 [Nefarian]
4 [Jerrak Krandle]
Abilities: 8
4 [Riptide]
4 [Primal Dexterity]
Equipment: 24
4 [Perdition's Blade]
4 [Abomination Knuckles]
4 [Claws of Torment]
4 [Champion's Deathdealer Breastplate]
4 [Tarnished Raging Berserker's Helm]
4 [Darkmoon Card: Hurricane]
Locations: 4
4 [Twilight Citadel]
Quests: 8
4 [Challenge of the Black Flight]
4 [The Grimtotem Weapon]
This deck takes a very different route to victory in Block Constructed: a victory based on weapon attacks. Against aggro decks, you will rarely have time to flip your hero, but against slower decks, the extra Assault 1 triggers from your Merissa will add up over time.
[Darkmoon Card: Hurricane] may look like a very weird card in this deck, but it helps keep dragonkin tokens (specifically ones made by [Sinestra], one of the format's powerhouses), under control and also works against aggro. Conveniently, it also works well with the six cost Dragonkin ally, and it can also be the target of your own [Abomination Knuckles] in order to get its leaves play effect. This is one deck where I actually like my quests, by the way.
Every non-ally sits in play for some period of time, making [Sinestra] very dangerous as a win condition. If you aren't going that route, then [Primal Dexterity] lets you get down and dirty with your hero. Combined with [Champion's Deathdealer Breastplate], the damage you can dish out adds up quickly. Striking for free most of the time has its benefits, and it's possible that I still have too few weapons in this deck. [Organic Lifeform Inverter] may be a nice fit.
You may be wondering what this deck can do against [Obsidian Drudge]. The answer? Er...not much. Just kill it as soon as possible, do not waste [Abomination Knuckles] on anything but [Etched Dragonbone Girdle], do not let the opponent amass dragonkins that are black or twilight, and just eat its one and only trigger. Also, you better hope that your opponent hasn't caught on to [Wildlife Defender] being a beatdown in this format.
This deck can also struggle against the Nature Hunter deck's nut draws. But then again, almost everything struggles against those. [Aspect of the Wild] is a kick in the face.
Hero: [Amaria Kelsur]
Allies: 41
4 [Garet Vice]
4 [Windspeaker Nuvu]
4 [Emerald Captain]
4 [Arvjos Jadestone]
4 [Boomer]
4 [Loriam Argos]
4 [Emerald Soldier]
4 [Bella Wilder]
4 [Magni, the Mountain King]
3 [Tesla]
2 [Aileen the Thunderblessed]
Abilities: 11
4 [Aspect of the Wild]
4 [Avatar of the Wild]
3 [Favor of the Hunt]
Quests: 8
4 [Corrosion Prevention]
4 [Crystals of Power]
[Varandas Silverleaf] used to be in this list until I realized that I hate running quests over more beef or Stash. On the play, I think [Boomer] is probably even worse to see than the dreaded turn three [Aspect of the Wild]. If they have both on the play, get out of here. You're going to need some massive top-decks or a “good thing I built my list only to deal with this kind of draw” scenario to save you. (PS – if you do that, you will lose to the plate-wearers that you will find later in the article)
This deck is pretty straight-forward other than that. Mulligan for your best cards (Boomer and the Aspect), play dudes, turn them sideways (sometimes into opposing allies), play the best ongoing pump in the format, play Ferocity dudes and turn them sideways, ???, profit.
I as going to post some Druid Ramp lists, but could not honestly find one that won consistently. Oh how the mighty (like the Mage) have fallen. I'll just move on to the real meat: the Girdle decks.
First up is my least favorite of the three, but still fine. It has early aggression answers, beef, and a way to quickly end games.
Hero: [Kavar the Bloodthirsty]
Allies: 29
4 [King Genn Greymane]
4 [Gargoyle]
3 [Sinestra]
4 [Bronze Warden]
4 [Bronze Guardian]
3 [Obsidian Drudge]
3 [Obsidian Drakonid]
4 [Magni, the Mountain King]
Abilities:12
4 [Frozen Core]
4 [Chains of Ice]
4 [Withering Decay]
Equipment: 7
4 [Etched Dragonbone Girdle]
3 [Scimitar of the Sirroco]
Locations: 4
4 [Twilight Citadel]
Quests: 8
4 [Challenge to the Black Flight]
4 [Last of Her Kind]
It's a general good-stuff deck. The girdle makes it hard for you to run out of cards, and you have plenty of early game action to fend off rush (be sure to save those [Frozen Core]s for [Gerwixicks]!).
The key things here: [Chains of Ice] is basically a removal ability against many decks in this format. Use it liberally, fetch up those [Withering Decay]s, and crack down on the opponent's board. One lets you nullify their dragonkin allies until they get a Drakonid online. Two basically closes aggro out of the game.
This deck is capable of blowing up out of nowhere. [Scimitar of the Sirocco] lets you do some serious beat downs, even if the number of allies you can use it with are limited. If you want to focus more on this weapon, you can switch the strategy over to a Horde focus instead with the Troll Death Knight's flip, [Unholy Ground], and giant fatties like [Nefarian].
The reason why I like this version is because of the few tools you do get as Alliance. Namely, Greymane. He's good at holding down the fort, and is annoying to take out without some serious help. Also, he hits like a ton of bricks.
Next up, a more stream-lined Girdle deck using some of the best cards in the format. IE: The Paladin removal.
Hero: [Auralyn the Light of Dawn]
Master Hero: 2
2 [Ysera the Dreamer]
Allies: 22
4 [Bronze Drake]
4 [Bronze Guardian]
3 [Bronze Skyrazor]
3 [Obsidian Drudge]
3 [Obsidian Drakonid]
2 [Obsidian Pyrewing]
3 [Sinestra]
Abilities: 15
4 [Holy Shock]
4 [Twisted Light]
4 [Holy Wrath]
3 [Word of Glory]
Equipment: 9
4 [Etched Dragonbone Girdle]
3 [Wildlife Defender]
2 [Twilight's Hammer]
Locations: 4
4 [Twilight Citadel]
Quests: 8
4 [Blackout]
4 [Dragon, Unchained]
This is generally a deck I would be happy to play if a Block Constructed tournament took place tomorrow, although some of my current card selections can certainly be deemed as loose. Namely, Word of Glory. It's something I am trying out as an ongoing heal, and mainly because it is an ability I can destroy to my [Twilight's Hammer]. Being Sinestra fodder doesn't hurt either.
That being said, it has some of the best removal in the format with [Holy Shock] and [Holy Wrath]. It is possible that [Inquisition], which was originally in here, will need to make its way back in. That decision is entirely bent on one thing: how popular will Greymane be?
Finally, we come to Warrior. My favorite deck, and my pet project for the format.
Hero: [Peter Hottelet]
Allies: 23
4 [Bronze Warden]
4 [Bronze Guardian]
4 [Magni, the Mountain King]
4 [Obsidian Drudge]
3 [Obsidian Drakonid]
2 [Obsidian Pyrewing]
2 [Sinestra]
Abilities: 14
4 [Juggernaut]
3 [Slam]
3 [Twisted Rampage]
4 [Raging Shout]
Equipment: 15
4 [Etched Dragonbone Girdle]
4 [Darkmoon Card: Hurricane]
4 [Shalug'doom, the Axe of Unmaking]
3 [Akirus the Worm-Breaker]
Locations: 4
4 [Twilight Citadel]
Quests: 4
4 [Challenge to the Black Flight]
Warrior strike-out, or Dragonkin control? You decide. Shalug'doom is rising in price, by the way. For good reason. It should probably be in more than this deck, and it's very good in this format.
I'm curious what your thoughts are regarding some of these lists, along with what you are currently playing. Be sure to chime in on our forums.
That's all for now, everyone. May your Block testing go well and best of luck at States/DMF Philly!
-Mike
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