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 Warlock 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 Warlock - Quick Impressions
- Warlock got some powerful Discard minions and payoffs - might we see a return to one of Warlock's original synergies?
- A Deathrattle archetype could be on the menu, receiving two very powerful cards that push the class in that direction.
- Like many other classes, Warlock got a handful of useful Undead and cards that play well with other Undead.
Lich King Warlock - Expansion Cards & Archetypes
Warlock has three themes that define its cards from the March of the Lich King expansion: the ever-present Discard, Deathrattle synergies, and Undead minions.
Discard Warlock
While not as aggressive a finisher as Doomguard, Savage Ymirjar is a very large Rush minion whose drawback isn't necessarily that if he hits Walking Dead, Soul Barrage, or Castle Nathria's Suffocating Shadows. We're particularly in love with Soul Barrage as a solid AoE damage burst that you can get into play for "free," but Walking Dead should not be overlooked: it's a better Silverware Golem, and should be a premier target for Discard effects. Scourge Supplies rounds out the Discard package, a targeted Discard effect that should appeal to the more well-dressed bears among Warlock players.
All in all, the Discard package from March of the Lich King is self-reliant, decently powerful, and should appeal to players who like to play with the mechanic. We give it four out of five Frostmournes.
Deathrattle Warlock
While not receiving as many cards as the Discard archetype, Warlock's Deathrattle synergy from March of the Lich King makes up for its lack of quantity with an abundance of quality. Devourer of Souls is an incredibly cheap Legendary minion that should play well in Tamsin's Phylactery decks that run Naval Mine, or it could see play in a variety of other Deathrattle-dependent decks. That's especially true with Warlock's newest spell, Shallow Grave, that can on-demand kill any minion whose Deathrattle you want to attach to the Devourer while also getting a second helping of said Deathrattle. With Grave and Grimoire of Sacrifice, Deathrattle Warlock will have no trouble killing its most important Deathrattle minions and feeding the Devourer.
We feel that these two cards will be a huge boon to Warlock's Deathrattle decks, and give them both a ten out of ten unsafety rating.
Undead Warlock
Warlock's spate of Undead play well with other Undead, and some of them even have synergy with the other archetypes being advanced in March of the Lich King. Amorphous Slime, for instance, is an Undead that can go decently with both a Discard deck and a Deathrattle deck. Infantry Reanimator can be nice for Warlock decks running one or more heavy Undead like Dar'Khan Drathir, who might profit nicely from the two aforementioned card's ability to cheat him out and summon him again.
The nicest thing we can say about Twisted Tether is that it's interesting, in the same tone of voice that a mother uses when her kindergartener brings home a piece of paper with a fistful of macaroni glued to it in no discernible pattern. Honey, Twisted Tether is too... nice to go in my Undead deck, why don't we put it in Daddy's office instead?
Warlock's Undead cards get a single thumb up (detached, of course).
Lich King Warlock - Top Neutral Cards
Astalor is March of the Lich King's contender for the Zilliax of the set: the Neutral minion that appears in just about every deck thanks to his versatility. Astalor is actually three cards in one, a bit like Pyros, except - and hear us out on this - good. The only drawback is that you need to hold onto him for a couple extra turns to get the full value from his Manathirst, but with a ping for removal, Armor for stalling with Astalor, the Protector, and finally a big payoff with Astalor, the Flamebringer, it should be worth the wait. He's everything you could want in a card, mainly because he's three things you could want in a card. He is large, he contains multitudes.
If Big Undead Warlock ever becomes a deck, then Invincible and Flesh Behemoth will likely be leading the charge. Both are large Undead that either buff Undead already in play, or cheat more large Undead into play. With Dar'Khan Drathir and Infantry Reanimator, they could create some spicy plays.
Enchanter makes some sense for slower Warlock decks, given the class's dependence on low-damage AoEs to clear enemy minions - it's great with something obvious like the 3 damage AoE of Dreadlich Tamsin or the cheap ping of Touch of the Nathrezim, but could also do some really cool stuff with Full-Blown Evil.
Lich King Warlock - Day 1 Hearthstone Decks to Try
Have a hankering for some Warlock decks, but unsure what to build first? We've gathered a handful of early deck ideas from all across the Hearthstone tavern just to help you out! We're nice like that.
Languagehacker's Discolock
During the Theorycraft stream, Languagehacker tried out this Controlling Undead Discard deck that looks to cheat out big Undead with Amorphous Slime and Shallow Grave, then use Habeas Corpses and Infectious Ghoul to construct a festering, pestering, and persistent board that your opponent will have a whale of a time trying to clear. And, when they finally do, you have Infantry Reanimator to do it all again.
Edelweiss' Deathrattle
Edelweiss put together this Deathrattle Warlock that plays to drop a huge Mill on its opponent through the use of Selfish Shellfish and Warlock's suite of Deathrattle triggers and copiers: Tamsin's Phylactery, Devourer of Souls, Shallow Grave, and Habeas Corpses.
Wild Mode - Dane Discard
On the Wild side of things, Dane put together a turbo-aggressive Discard deck that can churn out enough Discard to boost Tiny Knight of Evil to humongous stats, adding in plenty of burn damage with Fist of Jaraxxus and Soul Barrage that it's capable of ending the game pretty darn quickly.
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 Warlock'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
Discard is back! Scourge Supplies is just so good. Usually I play standard for the first month a set comes out but this makes me want to dust of Lakkari Sacrifice.
The Big Undead and Deathrattle stuff looks like a lot of fun too. Warlock has always been my favorite class. Very exciting stuff.