Reno Plus Spirit of the Badlands: Standard Highlander Deck Spotlight

We made it! The final installment of my Standard Highlander deck series! See previous articles for Priest, Demon Hunter, Hunter, Shaman, Warrior and Druid. And now, at long last, Paladin!

That's The Spirit!

Spirit of the Badlands is a sweet addition to the no-duplicates category. It adds to your hand a Mirage that becomes a copy of a random minion in your deck each turn, and it's permanent, so you can play it once every turn if you choose. This ability is particularly great because it directly counteracts the Highlander requirement. Let's say, for example, you are playing a hand-based Paladin using cards like Lawful Longarm. You can only run one copy, but as long as that copy is in your deck, there's a chance you can play it every turn using the Mirage. It works pretty similarly to Sister Svalna's Vision of Darkness, which has proven to be pretty powerful in control matchups.

Today's deck spotlight will examine Socrates' Badlands Highlander Paladin as posted on Hearthstone Top Decks.

This deck features a number of Paladin's staple early game cards, like Sinful Sous Chef and Righteous Protector. You also have lots of great board control options, like Keeper's Strength, Anachronos, and of course, Reno, Lone Ranger.

I also want to nod to Socrates' genius in including Cattle Rustler. Spirit of the Badlands is the only Beast in the deck, so if you draw this first, you're guaranteed to draw that, and it will be immediately playable for free. Good deal!

Showdown! and Prismatic Beam are always a nice pair, and this deck has one of each. You might want to consider adding in Deputization Aura for the Lifesteal.

Order LOL

There are some cool strategies in this deck that will be dependent on the order in which you draw and play your cards. Steamcleaner is here to protect your no-duplicates status against Plague Death Knights (I think this card should be included in pretty much any Highlander deck). However, you also have Ambassador Faelin and Miracle Salesman, so you won't want to play Steamcleaner once you've shuffled those goodies into your deck.

Additionally, as noted above, Cattle Rustler is great for tutoring out Spirit of the Badlands. However, if you draw Spirit of the Badlands first, Cattle Rustler becomes a dead card ... UNLESS you then play Ambassador Faelin. Most Colossal minions are Beasts, so there is great value to be had there in both the tutoring and the mana discount. And of course, you can also Dredge up those big bois using Seafloor Savior or The Leviathan (Order in the Court can do this for you as well).

Infinite Value

Spirit of the Badlands, once played, yields so much potential value. Socrates' deck is packed with minions that you'll be happy to get a copy of every turn: impactful Legendaries like Astalor Bloodsworn and Amitus, the Peacekeeper, as well as great Discover cards like Muckborn Servant and School Teacher. This version leans toward a heavily control-based strategy, but other deck configurations could play more like tempo or midrange.

What have your experiences been with Highlander Paladin? What deck type do you think Spirit of the Badlands fits best? Let us know in the comments!