Aberration, the new racial keyword for Worgen in the WoW TCG, has caused a significant amount of controversy since its release in Worldbreaker. While some argued it would be the end of the always top tier Mage Class and their [Blizzard], others simply said decklists would adjust and play more direct removal to deal with the pesky allies. Either way, I am surprised very few lists have been popping up at the Realm Qualifiers that attempt to exploit the new and powerful keyword.

Though Aberration looks quite silly against a deck full of Weapons, [Broderick Langforth], [Death Wish], or [Hesriana], there are simply too many cards that deal non-combat damage to ignore the keyword. You can definitely expect to see [Mikael the Blunt], [Blizzard], [Corpse Explosion], [Dreadsteed], [Heroic Throw], and [Searing Pain] throughout the Core Constructed season, and Aberration allies are immune to all of them. I think the key to Abberation allies will be to “splash” them into an otherwise synergistic deck to create giant headaches for the non-combat damage cards I mentioned.

When looking at the more powerful aberration allies like [Garet Vice], [Lorlam Argos], [Rolan Phoenix], and [King Genn Greymane], I try to find as many similarities between the cards to exploit potential synergies in deck building. After all, the more the cards are similar, the more they can each take advantage of the same secondary cards to create effective combos. You will notice that there are 2 Rogues, 1 Warrior, and 1 Druid, so they don’t necessarily all share the same class, but three out of the four do share a damage type: Nature.

As I am sure some of you have learned from Worldbreaker Limited play, there are two major cards that make Alliance’s Aberration allies get out of hand: [Earth and Moon] and [Aspect of the Wild]. Since both abilities essentially give all of your Nature allies +2 attack, we have to compare [Earth and Moon]’s power to increase Arcane damage from allies/abilities by 2 and nature damage from druid spells by 2, to [Aspect of the Wild]’s power to give all of your Nature allies +2 health (and the option to give them Nature Resistance).

Unfortunately, there are very few playable sources of Arcane damage for an Alliance Druid deck. Basically just [Myriam Starcaller] and [Moonfire] would make the cut. In the event you are currently playing classic, you may want to go the [Earth and Moon] approach so you can also play these two cards, but since I want to focus on Core for the upcoming Realm season, I think that +2 health on your nature allies is probably a stronger power in the format.

While I do like that there is a Worgen Balance Druid to take advantage of [Rolan Phoenix]’s and [King Genn Greymane]’s primary power, I simply can’t ignore +2 health on my allies. Though [Aspect of the Wild] is essentially Unique (a restriction that [Earth and Moon] does not have) giving your allies a higher static health allows us to minimize the effectiveness of the aforementioned counter cards like Weapons, [Death Wish] and [Broderick Langforth]. Lastly, in the event your opponent is playing any Nature allies/weapons (or perhaps the Master Hero [Ysera the Dreamer]) the Nature Resistance on the Aspect will be absolutely broken.

If the next set brings us a Worgen Hunter, I don’t think there is any reason to argue [Earth and Moon] is better than [Aspect of the Wild] for a Core Aberration deck. Conversely, if better sources of Arcane damage are printed (like Worgen allies start dealing arcane damage) or Druid gets an effective burn spell that deals Nature or Arcane damage, [Earth and Moon] may become the frontrunner.

Interestingly enough, almost every good Hunter Pet in the Core format deals Nature damage. [Boomer] has been an absolute stud in testing, giving you significant pressure in those early turns against a control deck, and killing opposing 2/1s with ease in the aggro matchup. In addition, Boomer also has insane synergy with [Mikael the Blunt], and if you choose to go Beast Mastery specialization, Boomer’s synergy with [Intimidation] could completely shut down any deck without an answer.

Joining [Deuce] and [Boomer] is likely going to be what I like to call “new-[Fury]”. [Tesla] and his 5 Ferocity powered attack for 4 is going to be insane sudden pressure against any deck. [Tesla] is also capable of trading with both [Dethvir the Malignant] and a [Dimzer the Prestidigitator] who entered play with a damage, and combined with our Aspect [Tesla] even survives against Dethvir. A cheap ally with more than 5 ATK and Ferocity ally hasn’t been seen since the likes of a [Master of the Hunt] buffed [Fury] back in “Classic”. [Tesla] is one less resource, and just as playable.

For versatility sakes (and to keep [Intimidation] turned on) the deck will probably play one non-nature ally in [Buzz]. Having an answer to equipment that can easily 2-1 or even 3-1 your opponent should never be ignored in a Hunter deck. [Buzz] is fantastic against the equipment decks your Aberration Allies will be weak against.

My favorite part of this deck actually isn’t anything that deals Nature Damage, it’s a little gem called [Envoy of Mortality]. While normally the drawback of Envoy is substantial, the Aberration keyword allows you to direct the damage to the ally without losing it. With no drawback, Envoy becomes a 4 attack weapon with Long Range that only costs 1 to strike with. How is that not the best weapon in the format? The bow will allow you to crush all those midrange decks that rely on their 4 and 5 drop allies to win, or the bow will be a hard to answer constant pressure against control. This card is insane, and this deck is perfect for it.

Also comboing with [Envoy of Moratlity] could be [Dundee] or [Adam Eternum]. While neither of these allies fit with the nature theme, you could definitely include one or the other for Envoy synergy and a large threat. Because of his immunity to [Hesriana], I am probably going to go with [Adam Eternum] in this spot. Afterall, we are likely going to want to run [Eye of the Storm] anyways to work with our [Intimidation].

The remainder of the deck is a bit up for grabs. I personally think the synergy with [Intimidation] and [Explosive Trap] is too good to ignore. Although you may be exhausting your hero to attack with your bow every turn, I think [Explosive Trap] is still fine. The trap will allow you to survive those important first 3 turns against the lightning fast aggro decks, so you can set up your board position and take control of the game.

Because the nature resist part of the Aspect costs 2 resources to enable, I would probably also run [Snipe] in the deck. Feigning 2 open for Aspect only to [Snipe] your opponent could be an absolute blowout that some opponents may fall for. [Snipe] also is one of the few “catch all” answers in the format, and at 2 resources it is quite inexpensive. I could definitely envision this deck playing similar to the [Black Ice Fizzlefreeze] or [Velindra Sepulchre] decks that establish a board presence and then use their powerful “counter magic” to prevent opposing answers. The difference is that Hunter uses [Snipe] instead of [Nether Fracture]. If you want to go this route, [Bombard] could serve a similar role.

Lastly, [Snipe] can also protect your deck from a devastating [Kel’Thuzad]. While [Kel’Thuzad] will be relatively ineffective against you anyways (thanks to many of your allies being pets) sniping a [Kel’Thuzad] will mean your opponent just paid 10 for 3 static attack and a few extra health, since [Snipe] destroys all of the allies that came into play at the same time. Not bad.

It is going to be almost impossible to build a Hunter deck these days without [Avatar of the Wild]. Again, there is no synergy with the deck here, but the card is simply so absurd that it is hard to ignore. Avatar could provide you with the reach necessary to finish the game just before your opponent takes control.

On the Quest front I would definitely start with a few copies of [Boon of Reumulos], especially if you are running [Snipe]. In the event your opponent plays nothing significant, you want a cheap quest to complete in its place. [Tabards of the Illidari] could also be included to serve a similar purpose. I also think forgotten about [Corruption of Earth] fits the deck perfectly. Worst case scenario, you are paying 3 to draw a card, but I could think of many situations where this quest could be completed for free. As always, I would recommend using those last few quest slots to add in utility quests. Since the deck is almost entirely nature damage, I would definitely use a couple [Cleansing Witch Hill] as an out to an opposing [Silvermoon City]. [Unfit for death] or [The Torch of Retribution] should also be included, as I feel graveyard hate is almost mandatory in the format.

Lastly, we come to the hero of choice. Personally, I think [Magnus the Depriver] is probably the best option, as he gives you another out to [Silvermoon City], but I could definitely see an argument for [Syreian the Bonecarver] to synergize with [Mikael the Blunt]. While Magnus has a flip that is always useable, Syreian has a flip that could allow [Tesla] to do some insane things. I will leave this one up to you.

I encourage you all to try this deck out with your own modifications. Whether you prefer a Druid or Hunter version, an Aberration deck should definitely be in your test gauntlet for this Core season. If you feel I have missed some obvious inclusions, I would love to hear your suggestions on the forums. See you all next time, and remember: You aren’t a real hunter until you have tamed the mighty Ghostcrawler. “Working as Intended! Look out for the Nerf Bat!”

-Chris Reilkoff