[DoD] Descent of Handbuffs (Dragon Handbuff Paladin)

~The real MVPs ~

Hello Out of Cards!

Handbuff is back, only now with DRAGONS! I've been playing various versions of Handbuff Paladin ever since Mean Streets, even taking it to legend twice. With the release of Descent of Dragons, I've updated my decklist and it feels pretty strong. The list is very midrange-y right now and has a pretty decent chance against almost anything. It is a bit off-meta, but if you want to give it a try I'm sure you'll have fun. Cheers!

*December 30th Update: Bye mechs, hello dragons! I've been tinkering with the deck quite a bit and have finally settled on a list that I think feels pretty great. I'll likely make some more changes (and I have some big plans for the deck after the set rotation), but I'm excited to share it with you now. Best of luck on ladder!

~ General Strategy ~

The core plan of the deck is as follows:

• Fill your hand with minions using Bronze Explorer, Big Ol' Whelp, and Countess Ashmore
• Buff them all with Glowstone Technician
• Get even more Glowstone Technician using Baleful Banker and Barista Lynchen
• Murder your opponent with huge minions (specifically Leeroy Jenkins and Stormwind Knight)

The rest of the deck is minions that capitalize on the buffs (such as Zilliax, Faceless Corruptor, and Siamat), and cards to disrupt/neutralize your opponent's threats (such as Aldor Peacekeeper, Scaleworm, and Amber Watcher).

~ FAQs ~

1) What should I mulligan for?

Cathedral Gargoyle, Firetree Witchdoctor, and Nightmare Amalgam. You can consider keeping Dragonrider Talritha, Scaleworm, or Bronze Explorer, especially with the coin.

2) When should I play Glowstone Technician?

If you're in a match that you'll need to OTK, save it until your 3 chargers are in hand. You also should play one on turn 7+ with Baleful Banker and/or Barista Lynchen. Against zoo/aggro, feel free to play it whenever you have a decent-sized hand, or it fits the mana curve.

3) Why aren't you running Dragon Speaker?

Honestly, just deck space. I need to fit more dragons in to justify it, and there isn't room if I want to keep the chargers. I expect to slot it in after the set rotation when we lose Glowstone Technician, which is a better buffer in this deck.

4) Why is this deck so dang expensive?

Cause I like to tinker and optimize my decks and I don't really care about crafting cost/wasting dust. But that's just a personal thing for me.

5) What other cards can I consider for the deck?

• If you want more dragons, you can put in Evasive Wyrm, Bronze Herald, or Nozdormu the Timeless. Scalerider and Dragon Speaker are worth it if you add more dragons.
• Argent Commander is a good alternative/additional charger.
• If you want, you can swap out the dragons for mechs (e.g. Crystology, Glow-Tron, Micro Mummy, Bronze Gatekeeper, Gyrocopter, or Annoy-o-Module).
• Spellbreaker or Acidic Swamp Ooze are decent tech options.
  

I cannot guarantee your deck will work well if you make any of these changes, but they are options.

~ Key Card Explanations ~

~ Honour to our ancestors. ~

Let's play some Hearthstone together! JoeyJojo48#1451, Americas :)