Hearthstone
Execute The System - Rank 5 to Legend @ 58.75%
- Control Warrior
- Wild
- Ranked
Short Story
On May 8th, starting from Platinum Rank 5 - 2 stars (I ranked up with a win streak), I went 47-33 (58.75%) to achieve Legend Rank on May 14th. The deck is viable.
Background
This is my own modification I've been playing since before Kibler popularized the archetype. After getting defeated by the deck on ladder, I went searching for a decklist. The original version I found was the same decklist except instead of Execute and Plague of Wrath it ran Maiev Shadowsong and a Bladestorm. I found Bladestorm to be a maddening card, rarely useful because of all my 1/1 lackeys. Defile or Warpath it is not. I kept fishing for an Execute or Plague of Wrath every time I got an Ethereal Lackey. So, why not just put them in the deck. After Kibler released his version I was encouraged at his exclusion of Maiev, but didn't think Grand Lackey Erkh was necessary. I was having success in Platinum Ranks 10-6 so I stuck with it.
Core Strategy, Mechanics, and Mulligans
Control the early game with your weapon. It's critical to have a Corsair Cahce or one of the weapons in the first few turns. Upgrade! doesn't count, and I'd even mulligan Imprisoned Gan'arg unless I had the coin. The reason is that Turn 4 is actually a little slow, and you want to generate hand value from your re-equips through Hoard Pillager. I would always mulligan hard for Corsair Cahce and weapons, with Questing Explorer being the only card I would keep in my opening hand (and the Quest of course - don't mulligan that ever). Demon Hunter was the big exception, and I'll get into that below.
Generate a ton of hand value with Ancharrr and Livewire Lance in the meantime. You often have to be careful not to have too many cards in your hand. Saving up lackeys and pirates is important to both maximize their value and to trigger Risky Skipper.
There's a lot to keep track of in the mid-game. Keep track of what minions you have in hand to trigger Risky Skipper, and the order you want to play them. Figure out the ideal time to play Risky Skipper. This is a meta where you need to maximize your board clears and armor, and you only have two Risky Skippers unless you get lucky with Sky Raider. It can be extremely difficult to figure out the ideal play order, but MOST of the time it's as simple as Risky Skipper into Armorsmith. Very rarely do I want to play Armorsmith first (you would need an established board to be attacking before triggering), and there's never a better second minion to play unless 2 vs. 1 mana is a serious consideration (and it can be!).
Keep track of which weapons you've broken, and what Hoard Pillager will give you. You should always resist the temptation to use Upgrade! without a weapon equipped. The two games where I was forced into it I lost anyway. Keep track of Grommash Hellscream, your opponents life total, and if you have a trigger for him. Risky Skipper, Sword and Board, Kobold Lackey, and Explosive Trap are all triggers. Keep track of Armored Goons in relation to your weapon's durability. Maybe you can afford to drop a vanilla 6/7, but that 5 armor can be game making/breaking.
Finally, keep track of your quest and hero powers. Oh, how I've misplayed this deck. Even on the day I reached Legend Rank. It's so easy to swing your weapons, fishing for a pirate or lackey, and realize that you missed a free 2-mana 4/3. Be crystal clear on if you're attacking before your minions, what card you're hoping to draw from your weapon, if you should summon your 4/3s before or after trades, and on and on. The easiest mistake to make is missing out on 2-armor from your hero power when your quest is at 4/5 complete. Get that armor and 4/3 on the same turn (if you don't have a better play from hand). You don't have to make two 4/3s every turn. You don't have to attack every turn. But make sure you consider it every turn, and know exactly why you are or aren't attacking.
You WILL make mistakes. Some will cost you the game. You WILL misplay Risky Skipper. You WILL misplay your attacks and hero power. You WILL misplay your lackeys. You WILL have fun. With so many low-cost cards and powers I'm thinking incredibly hard about my choices and order of play on every single turn.
Demon Hunter - Well, this is why we're all reading this guide, isn't it. This guide is a work in progress.
Druid -
Hunter
Mage
Paladin
Priest
Rogue
Shaman
Warlock
Warrior
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7- 00
- 01
- 02
- 03
- 04
- 05
- 06
- 07+
- 1 Execute x 1
- 1 Hack the System x 1
- 1 Imprisoned Gan'arg x 1
- 1 Risky Skipper x 2
- 1 Sky Raider x 2
- 1 Sword and Board x 2
- 1 Upgrade! x 1
- 2 Armorsmith x 2
- 2 Corsair Cache x 2
- 3 Ancharrr x 1
- 3 EVIL Quartermaster x 2
- 3 Livewire Lance x 2
- 4 Kargath Bladefist x 1
- 5 Brawl x 1
- 5 Plague of Wrath x 1
- 6 Armored Goon x 2
- 8 Grommash Hellscream x 1
- 2 Questing Explorer x 2
- 4 Hoard Pillager x 2
- 4 Sky Gen'ral Kragg x 1
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Comments
I played around 10 games and I think I only won one or two. I like the deck, I'm just having trouble winning. I've mostly played against Hunter and I usually get close but they just have two many options to attack face.
I've noticed you are using Sky Raider when other lists would have battle rage.
So you'd rather have a minion and a random pirate on your hand instead of card draw ?
I'm not sure I've seen a Quest Warrior with Battle Rage. I never felt card draw was a problem. If you get Ancharr as your first weapon (1/3 of the time), then you'll keep getting it back from Hoard Pillager. So the Sky Raiders get drawn and thin your deck. And they're useful combos with Risky Skipper, can generate a Risky Skipper, can generate a taunt, can generate a legendary Pirate, etc. It never felt bad to play/include.
It really does play like a control deck. You're trying to keep the board clear, stabilize your armor, and outvalue your opponent. The burst from Grommash is important, but it's not a combo deck.
Looks like a fun list. What do you think about replacing Kargath Bladefist (which I don't have) with Captain Greenskin? If not that, then is there a better replacement? Also, what do think about keeping Imprisoned Gan'arg in a mulligan with no coin (and no Corsair Cache), with the plan of playing Imprisoned Gan'arg turn one, hero power (or Corsair Cache or Questing Explorer if you got one by then) turn two, and playing Hack the System and maybe hero power turn three? That feels... not bad, and you don't risk coming away from the mulligan with no early game.
I think Greenskin is a reasonable replacement, although [Hearthstone Card (Faceless Corrupter) Not Found] might fill the role a little better.
Gan'arg on 1, Quest on 2 or 3 is a reasonable way to go. I think I did do that a few times. There are so many scenarios to consider!
Crazy fun deck and nice to finally get some mileage out of Hack the System! I run the bomb package of 2x Wrenchcalibur and Blastmaster Boom for some additional pressure and Highlander counter instead of Imprisoned Gan'arg. Just curious if you'd ever tested that variant?
I'm sure it's a blast to play ;). I can't imagine climbing the ladder without my lackeys from Livewire Lance. Demon Hunters rarely wait long enough to kill you for the bombs to go off. Gan'arg is definitely an odd card, and a decent candidate to swap for something else. It really shines though when you get it in your opening hand with coin.
I feel you on Livewire Lance. That's part of the plan for sure - just don't want the Hoard Pillager to reincarnate a War Axe vs something with additional benefits. Will give it a shot for the early tempo and see how we roll. Thanks!
This looks fun! How necessary is Ancharr? I could craft it, just not sure if I want to.
Extremely necessary. It's the top draw engine for the deck. You'll still have fun if you replace it with Fiery War Axe, but I have to imagine your win-rate will take a big hit. I can't predict the future, but I think Risky Skipper is going to be a Warrior staple for another year until rotation, meaning that Ancharrr will be too. I know Ancharrr was only used for pirate aggro at first, but I think it's an extremely great tool for all archetypes moving forward. I don't think you'll regret crafting it if you like playing Warrior.
Same Question
You will lose a lot more games due to not drawing Risky Skipper without it. It's a solid craft. Pretty much every Warrior deck runs it right now.