The full set of cards for March of the Lich King has been revealed a little while ago, and we're nearing the time when they can finally become a part of our collection. Still not sure what to make of Paladin or what kind of decks to play? We've broken down the class archetypes for the upcoming expansion, discussed the new cards, and gathered a variety of theorycraft decks from streamers, pros, and community members to guide you on Day 1.
First off, there is a lot of other relevant content that you might be interested in:
- You can find full information about the upcoming set in our March of the Lich King expansion guide.
- You can create and share your own decks featuring all these new cards via our deckbuilder.
- The new Rewards Track has been fully detailed. Get a head start on the early XP gains and stay prepared for launch!
- Major Patch 25.0 (plus hotfixes) has prepared the ground for the expansion with various game mode updates and features.
- Need a more detailed overview of March of the Lich King themes and mechanics? The initial announcement coverage has it all.
- Expect special Signature cards to add to your collection, and improved duplicate protection coming with the new Reroll Feature.
- Remember, you are able to open your packs faster than usual - should you wish to!
Now, onto what's approaching ever closer. Before we jump into a variety of potential decks, here is a quick look at the class in the upcoming expansion:
Lich King Paladin - Quick Impressions
- Anachronos might single-handedly save the class from languishing in the lower tiers on its own.
- Blood Crusader leads the charge on sacrificing your face for tempo-ing out threats. Can it lead to greater combos?
- With so few Dragons in Standard, Dragon Paladin might need to wait until next Hearthstone Year to gain traction.
Lich King Paladin - Expansion Cards & Archetypes
For Paladin, two archetypes have asserted themselves as the favorite to play on Day 1: Dragons and Blood Tempo.
Dragon Paladin
Frankly-speaking, there are not enough Dragons in Standard to expect Dragon Paladin to take to the sky and ravage its opponents as the expansion opens. Not a truly dedicated deck, at any rate. Effects like Timewarden and Daring Drake require a critical-mass of usable Dragons to make them reliable and effective. Flight of the Bronze, however, barely requires anything extra from you to be powerful; merely reach the Manathirst requirement and you've got a solid spell. Same goes for Anachronos, a minion that directly targets the Paladin's key weakness: staying in the game after losing the battlefield. These two cards will find a home for sure.
Blood Paladin
If you turn your mind back to Rastakhan's Rumble, you may remember that the Paladin messed around with self-damage cards before, to little fanfare. High Priest Thekal was a genuinely cool idea worth experimenting with; Bloodclaw...not so much. Here we find the class back at the well once more. This time, however, it might actually be worth it: tempo-ing out better than average minions at the cost of one's lifeforce is a lot better than a simple 2/2 weapon. What does your Health mean in the long run if you win the game? Blood Crusader in particular could allow you to cheat out something early in name of the Light: The Leviathan, Brasswing, perhaps even Ragnaros, Lightlord could see some use. Alas it says "Paladin minion", lest we see another class fall to darkness (i.e: Sire Denathrius).
Other Paladin Cards
While they don't play directly into the archetypes listed above, For Quel'Thalas! and Blood Matriarch Liadrin can certainly find a home somewhere. They work quite well together, as well, providing Liadrin additional Attack to expand the range of her effect. This in turn makes reclaiming a lost board more likely, using the Rush + Divine Shield combo to take down an opposing force; something the Paladin has struggled with at times in the past.
Lich King Paladin - Top Neutral Cards
Astalor is an incredibly powerful card, providing a ping for removal, Armor for stalling with Astalor, the Protector, and finally a big payoff with Astalor, the Flamebringer. He's everything you could want in a card; expect to see him everywhere.
Enchanter and Street Sweeper play for the same team, shoring up Paladin's remarkably-poor ability to clean up and get back on the board after losing it. Amber Whelp, meanwhile, is a Dragon; Dragon Paladin will take what it can get at this point. Doesn't hurt that the card itself is quite good anyway, being blatant power-creep over Scalerider.
Lich King Paladin - Day 1 Decks to Try
Not sure what to play for the class while we fight against the March of the Lich King? We've gathered a handful of early deck ideas from all across the Hearthstone tavern just to help you out:
Superior David's Kazakusan Paladin
A pinch of this, a touch of that! Mixing in some Blood cards around a Dragon Paladin core, with the aforementioned Kazakusan on the top-end. Order in the Court will find him or Lightforged Cariel right away; not a bad deal!
Edelweiss' Breakfast Aggro Paladin
The recipe is simple: buff Liadrin, play a bunch of stuff, and watch your opponent choke on a steady diet of face damage. Breakfast is served. The deck is fairly cheap, as well, for those on a budget.
Old Guardian's Dragon Control Paladin
The cost of this deck? Not so little. Features just about every card Hearthstone players have come to fear: push your opponent to despair before the Light! Naturally includes Sire Denathrius, because sometimes the old ways are the best.
More Class Coverage for March of the Lich King
Want to look at what we've put together for another March of the Lich King contender? The navigation links below can take you there in an instant!
What do you think of Paladin's card package for the upcoming expansion? Which decks are you going to take for a spin once March of the Lich King goes live on December 6? Is there something else from your favorite content creator that we didn't include here? Let us know in the comments!
Comments
No Comments Yet. Be the first to create one down below!