Dragon Paladin

Even though the current form of this deck has just gone 6-4, it's felt competitive and definitely very fun to play, so I figured I'd share it!

Win Conditions: The deck plays essentially as a healing-focused Control Paladin deck, where you simply try to outlast the opponent till you hit Kazakusan. In slower matchups, it can be helpful to actively look for a second copy of Kazakusan off Bronze Explorer as Mutanus insurance. In faster matchups, we have two paths to victory: 1) outhealing all their damage like a traditional control deck or 2) taking control of the board in the midgame--if the aggro deck runs out of steam, we can easily flip the switch and function like a midrange tempo deck.

Mulligans: The only universal mull is Lightforged Cariel, though Equality is pretty close--the sheer number of AOEs we have in Brasswing, Lightforged Cariel, Consecration, and City Tax make it a good keep in almost any matchup. In games against slower decks, Righteous Defense is usually an auto-keep (think countering the first giant taunt in Ramp Druid). Against fast decks, mulligan for any and all AOE (minus Brasswing)--healing is important, but clearing boards allows you to take enough damage to get full value off your heals, allowing you to counter more of the opponent's damage (in effect). Against Rogue in particular, it's important to keep Kazakusan in the mulligan, but you should almost always wait to play him till either Pirate Admiral Hooktusk comes down or you're sure the opponent doesn't run Hooktusk. (Pro tip: If you're able to save an Equality combo, Brasswing is a fantastic way to both bait out the irritating admiral and protect your hand and deck!)

Substitutions: There is one flex spot--still haven't nailed it down, but I'm trying out Truesilver Champion to curve better into Protect the Innocent. That being said, Protect the Innocent may be cuttable--I just haven't found anything better. I'm not exactly sure what's best in these last three deck slots, but I know two things that definitely don't work: a secret package (too slow) and non-dragon minions (I've found that having Kazakusan active at all times is much more valuable than running extra AOE/draw with stuff like Knight of Anointment, Wild Pyromancer, Acolyte of Pain, Blademaster Samuro, etc.). Immortalized in Stone, Amalgam of the Deep, Faerie Dragon, and Azure Drake have also been underwhelming enough that I'm still searching for that 30th card.

Finally, a note for budget players: unfortunately, there probably isn't anything that can quite replace the legendaries and epics, though you should have gotten Kazakusan and Raid Boss Onyxia from the last mini-set (always buy those, especially if you're a budget player--it's incredible value for your gold!). Lightforged Cariel is just too good for maximizing heals, and although Brasswing could potentially be replaced by something else, I value having the late-game board clear, soft taunt, and potential mega-heal. Should the opponent ignore Brasswing even for one turn, Hold the Bridge becomes a MASSIVE punish as Brasswing turns into Blademaster Apotheosis that goes face for 11.